With These Hands
by A'isha Ishtar
Summary: She can't hug him without reducing him to a rat. He can't kiss her without burning her. "How am I supposed to love you... if every time I try to show my affection... I do this to you?" Yuki/OC my first official Fruits Basket fic Please be kind!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, Tohru, Yuki, or any of the Sohmas that appear in this story. I do, however, own Becky Bridges, Mike Dallas, Nancy Bridges, and any other characters you have never heard of. I also own the Bridges' family curse.**

With These Hands

by A'isha Ishtar

_With these hands, I will go through life like nothing is wrong with me._

"G… Go on, Mike… please…" She pressed herself closer to her boyfriend's body, burying her face in his chest. Her right hand was clutched quite tightly in his left, their fingers practically woven together. Her nails were painted a muted, almost metallic shade of silvery blue, his unpainted, their natural fleshy color. She, dressed in the white tank top and Daisy Dukes; he, dressed in Levis with no shirt. His right hand was occupied with most of her back section of blonde hair. He was giving her Eskimo kisses, as she had, early on in their relationship, forbid him from kissing her with his lips.

But now… she knew he really loved her. She wanted to know if he loved her enough to keep and accept her secret. She wanted to see how he would react. He loved her, so… so he deserved to know the truth about her, didn't he? He deserved that. If she was going to spend the rest of her life with this boy, he had to know.

"Mike…" she whispered his name. She decided to suck it up; she knew this would be excruciatingly painful. But if it was for the one she loved, it was well worth it. She reached up and gave him a kiss of her own – on his cheek, not lips. Not yet. "You can do it now. Please, do it."

"Mmm…" Mike had his face in her hair now, inhaling deeply, obviously smelling the scent of her After the Rain shampoo. "Do what, babe?"

"… Ah…" She placed the hand she was holding at her waist, palm down, and pushed her body up against him. She loved him; she deserved to suffer for him. And suffer she would; she would experience the most pain she could for Mike. "K… Kiss me… now…"

"Gotcha, babe. Finally, I get a taste of you. Here I come, sweetie." He leaned down, and she saw his eyes closed. She forced herself to close her own eyes, right before his lips came for hers. His lips made contact with hers, and she squirmed before the pain kicked in. His lips were moist, but they were thinly chapped, even after she had warned him not to be out in the wind so long.

Then, all at once, the pain came. Her entire chest and the top portion of her stomach felt like they were on fire. The area were Mike's hand was on her waist and the beginning of her back felt like someone had thrust a candle on it and was letting her burn. Her knees felt scraped; Mike must have had his knees against hers. Her hair was being singed. Smoke rose from virtually her entire body, and the pain was terrible. She gasped and gasped, trying to breathe through the agony and her scorching throat. It hurt so badly, she couldn't focus on anything else. Her mind didn't drift to the kiss for even half a second. The pain was too bad.

She jumped away, shrieking in distress. She brushed her body frantically, her fingertips searching subconsciously for the burning flesh. But there was none. There were no flames anywhere on her body. It was her secret that had caused this. She clapped a hand over her mouth, lips feeling as if they were boiling away, and her cheeks wailing with a flaming sensation.

Fortunately, her secret had what could be called a safety attached to it. A way of ensuring protection and avoiding most of the prolonged discomfort.

Her green eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted dead away.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Unh…"

She felt her sense of feeling returning to her. She could feel her entire body now. She felt that her chest and her stomach had been bandaged up, also covering the spot on her waist. Her lips were covered with something, a gel or cream. Her hair was wet, tied back in a ponytail. She groaned once more and blinked her eyes open.

Sitting by her bed were two people. One of them was her mother, Nancy Bridges, who was asleep. The other was her boyfriend, Mike Dallas, who was very much awake. She stretched a little, trying to sit up. "… Mike? What's going on? How did I… get in my… room?"

"Look, Becks…" Mike stood up, and she could see that his face was white as a sheet. She suddenly noticed how terrified he looked. His blue eyes were wide, he was sweating, his hands were shaking. The glass he held in one hand was trembling so violently that some of the water spilled onto the carpet of her room. He put the glass down, and took a few steps back. "I won't… you know… blab your secret, okay? This… curse thing or whatever your mom was telling me." He shook his head. "And I know we've had some good times. But, Becky, I mean… let's be real about this. I don't think I can handle this. I just couldn't handle someone I can't kiss without hurting. I'm sorry, I just…" He was moving ever closer to the door. "I don't think we can be together anymore, Becky… I'm sorry… bye…"

And he left.

Becky stared after him. She half-expected him to come back and laugh, say he was only joking, and take her out to a movie or something. But he didn't. He was really gone forever. And it felt like her heart was getting burned as well, a flame engulfing her entire chest. She clutched where her heart would be, as she felt her eyes fill with tears. Was this how it felt to have your heart broken?… but it hurt so bad…

She covered her burned face, and began to cry.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Becky stared into the mirror, and an ugly face with an uglier secret looked back at her. Blonde hair that was now slightly thinner, falling somewhere in between her shoulders and the middle of her back. Large emerald eyes. Dressed in a brand-spanking-new schoolgirl's uniform. Her cheek still sported a burn mark; she didn't have any concealer that wasn't expired. There was no eyeshadow, but a very light coating of rosy gloss adorned her sore lips.

"Mom… I don't wanna go to school."

"Rebecca, this is a new place. It's a chance for us to start over. Please just try this school."

Becky felt her eyes welling with tears, and she ran an arm over her eyes to wipe them dry. "B-But… wh-what if… what if everybody h-hates me again? Mom, this curse is ruining my life."

"Look." Nancy put her hands on Becky's shoulders, kneeling down to her eye level. "Sweetie… I know we're not normal. I know it's awful to have to live like this… to go through your life wondering if you'll ever find anybody who will… just love you regardless of everything. Despite or even in spite of the curse. I know what it's like. But trust me, Rebecca." She put her arms around her daughter. "These thoughts will pass. You will find someone who will accept you for who you are… for _what_ you are. Somebody will accept and love you while managing to ignore the curse."

Becky sniffled, and stood up, nodding. She grabbed her backpack, and swung out the door to begin her walk to school.

Maybe her mother was right. Maybe she'd find somebody here… who would accept her.

She had to… but she could only hope.

**So… tell me what you think. I know there aren't a lot of you who like OC pairings, but those who do, please review this if you read it! Anything I can improve upon? Any constructive criticism? … Any **_**praise**_**? XD I do hope you liked it…**

**And now, I give you a promise… Yuki **_**WILL**_** show up in the next chapter. This chap was kind of just me being Professor Exposition. LOL *sings* Professor Exposition, explainer of things! She's clarifying plot points – to explain away confusion!* Epic-ness…**

**Till next time!**

**~Ai-chan ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

_With these hands, I will treat you as I treat everyone else._

Becky looked up unhappily at the large building. It was a sort of color that was a mixture of peach and off-white. To be honest, she thought it looked ugly. "But," she sighed heavily, "maybe that's just because I don't wanna give this a try. Maybe it's just because I'm being a stubborn bitch." Her right hand clutched the strap of her bookbag even harder, so that her knuckles were rather close to turning white. "But I have to do this. Mom _may_ be right – like that's ever happened before, but it could! After all… she found Dad… and had me. If it happened to her… who's to say for sure that it won't happen to _me_?" She started toward the building. "And if I don't go in, I'm gonna be late, and I'll have a whole hell of a lotta explaining to do, and not just to the principal. To my mom, too." She shook her head, pushing one of the doors open. "She'll chew me out if I don't even give this city _and school_ a try…"

She heard a bell ring, and sighed at the fact that she was probably going to be late because she had to pick up her schedule. "Okaaaay… not a good first impression, then. Well, I'll do my best."

"Hey!" She heard a shout behind her, and decided to turn around and try to make friends with the voice. As it turned out, the voice was a girl about her age with long brown hair and big, bright gray eyes. She wore a uniform identical to Becky's, prompting Becky to infer that this girl was a student at this school. She had a big smile on her face. "Hey, yeah, you!" She pointed at Becky. "Are you lost?"

Becky looked down at herself, and nodded to the girl. "Do you know where the office is? I need my schedule."

"You're new! Cool, I love new kids. They're so fun to be with! So, the office? Yeah, I can take you there. I need to get something anyway."

"Uh… thanks?" Becky followed the cheerful girl down the hall. "So what's your name?"

"Tohru Honda. It's nice to meet you, whatever-your-name-is."

"I'm Rebecca Bridges. But everybody except my mom calls me Becky, so… yeah. Call me Becky."

"Becky! Oh, that's such a pretty name. You know what? I can just tell you and I are going to be the best of friends."

"Awesome." Becky's spirits lifted just a little bit. This girl barely knew her, and already wanted to be her friend. That was good, right? Maybe this place wasn't so bad after all. "So… got any other friends who might wanna include me in bonding crap?"

"Oh, of course!" Tohru opened a door, letting Becky go in first. "There's this family here, the Sohmas? I'm Kyo Sohma's girlfriend, and I live with them and do all their cooking and cleaning and stuff. Oh, they'd just love you!"

Becky leaned over the counter and nodded. "Hey," she called to the aide who was seated there, clicking away on a keyboard. "I'm new here, and I need my schedule."

"Oh, yes. They told us you'd be coming," the perky brunette answered with an obviously fake smile. "Name?"

"Rebecca Bridges."

"Bridges… Bridges… ah, here you are." The secretary handed her a piece of paper. "There you go. I suggest you hurry up and get to class."

"Miss Keiko," Tohru suddenly piped up. "I'm going to walk her to class, since she doesn't know where all the rooms are! Can I have a pass for Mayuko-san's homeroom?"

Miss Keiko, who apparently had to deal with Tohru all the time, rolled her eyes. "Fine," she agreed, writing on a little yellow pad. "But this pass is only valid until seven forty-five, Miss Honda. Okay? So if you take a half-hour to show Miss Bridges to her first class, you will be considered tardy. Don't blame me for that." She handed Tohru the little slip.

"Thank you, Miss Keiko! Bye-bye, have a good day!" After they were out, Tohru turned back to Becky. "Soooo, what do you have first?"

"History – with, uh… how do you pronounce that name?"

"Koharumoto-san! I know exactly where that is, come on!" Tohru grabbed Becky's hand and ran down the hall, dragging the blonde with her.

Becky tried to protest. "Tohru, you are going _waaaaayyyy_ too fast! Aaauuuuugggghhhhh!"

Finally, Tohru stopped in front of a door. "Okay, here's Koharumoto-san's room. Have fun! I'll see you at lunch, I guess! Bye-bye!"

Becky opened the door, and walked in. "Uh… Koharumoto-san? I think I'm your new student."

At the desk was a little old man, wearing glasses and apparently in the middle of taking roll. "Hmm?" He looked over at her. "Ohhh, yes, I was wondering where you were." He waved her over. "Please, come up and introduce yourself, dear."

Becky walked to the middle of the classroom, and swallowed. It felt like everybody was staring at her. She hated that feeling, everyone looking at her like she was a freak. "Um…" She held up her hand. "H-Hi. I'm Rebecca Bridges, but, uh, everyone calls me Becky. If you want, you can call me by my full name… but… I prefer… Becky or… I guess Becca, if you want. Um… I like video games. And I don't like to get close to people… 'cause I have a lot of secrets. And… I don't want any of those secrets to be known. So… uh… I'm just gonna try and fit in here the best I can, I guess." She turned to Koharumoto-san. "Where's… my seat, sir?"

"Hmm." The old guy was busy staring at a paper. "Well, we've already got the students seated in alphabetical order. Hmm, what a nuisance…" He shook his head. "I suppose, since I don't wish to completely rearrange the seating… you'll just have to sit behind Mr. Sohma, there at the end. Go on, go on." He made a motion like he was shooing her away. "I have a class to teach, young lady."

Becky sighed and began to walk. The rest of the class was obviously quite used to this, as she heard a few scattered snickers. She sat down behind a boy who had violet-black hair and plum eyes. He wore a schoolboy uniform, of course, and stared straight ahead. She remembered what Tohru said – that there was a family called the Sohmas that she;d introduce Becky to. She pulled out a pen and ripped out a piece of notebook paper.

_Hey! I don't know your name, but as I just said, mine's Becky. I met someone named Tohru Honda earlier, and she mentioned introducing me to your family. What's your name, and do you wanna be friends? ^^_

She passed the note over the shoulder of the Sohma boy. It landed with a flutter on his open notebook. By the way he twitched, she could tell he was a little annoyed since he'd been taking notes on whatever Koharumoto-san was blathering about. But he did pull out a piece of his paper and begin to write something. She grinned happily, almost able to _feel_ herself blushing. After a moment, he tossed the paper back her way, and it hit her square on the forehead.

"Ouch…" she mumbled, rubbing the spot. She picked up the note. It was intricately folded, unlike hers had been. She carefully opened it, and eagerly read what was inside.

_Miss Bridges –_

_My name is Yuki Sohma. It's nice that you met Honda-san – she's a kind girl. She's the type of person who is a good friend to have on your first day. However, I sincerely doubt that she will ever invite you to our home. But she may have you sit at our table for lunch. I would like to be friends with you… but I'm not sure it can go beyond school. I look forward to seeing you at lunch._

_-Yuki_

_P.S. Your handwriting is very lovely._

Becky frowned, and furrowed her brow. Why couldn't their friendship go beyond school? Tohru's probably would. She'd get to go to the mall with Tohru; go get their nails done together; go see a movie. But why couldn't Yuki let her do anything like that with him? She hurriedly wrote another message to the Sohma boy.

_Yuki –_

_Okay, well, I like your name. It's nice, it means "snow", doesn't it? I'm not sure, 'cause I'm from America. But anyway, maybe Tohru will invite me. She seemed pretty intent on wanting me to know you guys. Inside and out! That'll be fun. I'm actually kind of hoping she will. I wanna know what your family's like. And I look forward to seeing you at lunch, too! So… see you soon, I guess, Yuki-kun!_

_- Becky_

_P.S. I like your handwriting, too! And you can just call me Becky or Rebecca._

She put that note over Yuki's shoulder, as well. She waited for a few minutes…

But she didn't get an answer back.

**Author's Note time!**

**OK, I know that Tohru and Yuki are supposed to be in the same homeroom… but for the purposes of this story, let's just say they aren't. OK? :) No bitching about it please. I'm new to Furuba fandom, and I don't know a lot yet.**

**That being said… what did you think? I delivered! Last time I promised Yuki, and – da da da da! – there was Yuki!**

**Till next time!**

**~Ai-chan ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**I would like to start by thanking all the people who reviewed last chapter. Thanks to CrimsonlightofDeath, michelleandjulia, and Lady Miraculous (whose stories are also quite awesome, if I may say so).**

**Hope you like this chapter! It's full of friend-y-ness. (I love making up words!)**

_With these hands, I will build our friendship._

By the time lunch came rolling around, Becky decided that she was exhausted. When the lunch bell rang, she was about ready to jump up on one of the tables in the science room and yell out, "Hallelujah!" She _almost_ did, actually, but she managed to pull herself together and run calmly down to the lunchroom. She dug in her purse for a dollar fifty to buy lunch, but then she saw that they had tacos and she decided to pass.

Then again, she had no lunch if she didn't buy. Mexican food usually made her sick, and the only other thing they had up there was salad, which she didn't like all that much. It would actually probably put her in a bad mood on her first day, which wasn't good.

She just stood blankly in the middle of the cafeteria. Pretty much every table was occupied… and she didn't want to sit with the nerds, who were annoying and smelled like bologna.

She didn't have to wait exceptionally long, though. Tohru came over to her after about five minutes. "Becky-chan, Becky-chan, Becky-chan!" She took the other girl's wrist. "You don't have anywhere to sit, do you?"

"Nope, ma'am."

"Great!" She dragged Becky over to a table. "Come on, Becky-chan! Everybody is going to love you!" Tohru plunked Becky down in a seat. "Take a load off! I'll introduce everybody!"

Becky looked around the table. Yuki Sohma was there, as well as two others – one with orange-red hair and brown eyes and one with white-and-black hair and gray eyes. Both were very good-looking. She raised a hand. "Hi, Yuki-kun. Nice to see you again."

He bowed his head. "Greetings again, Rebecca."

"Ohhhh, you already know Yuki?" Tohru clapped, sitting down in her own seat beside Becky. "Great! Well, then, this is my boyfriend Kyo Sohma…" She gestured to the orange-haired youth, nuzzling his nose. "And this is Hatsuharu Sohma." She pointed at the white-and-black-haired boy. "There are a lot more Sohmas, though. But Momiji-chan, he goes to the middle school – but not for long! – and Hatori-san, he's all grown up and he's a doctor now. Ayame-san and Shigure-san run a romantic costume shop, and Akito-sama stays at home. He's the head of the family, and he's sick a lot. But anyway, I should probably stop talking so much!" She looked at the boys. "Oh! And this is our new friend, Rebecca Bridges, but she's letting us call her Becky! Isn't that the prettiest name you've ever heard? Becky-chan!" Tohru blinked at Becky's empty hands. "… You don't have anything for lunch, Becky-chan?"

Becky shook her head. "I can't have Mexican food, I don't really like salad, and I didn't pack my lunch."

"Oh! Does anybody have anything to give her?" Tohru looked around the table at each of the boys. "Oh, come on, guys! I know all of you have great lunches! _I_ make them myself!"

"You can have half my sandwich," Yuki finally spoke up, handing her the rounded half of what looked like ham-and-cheese.

"And some of my celery," Hatsuharu added, passing her a few stalks.

Kyo remained silent. That is, until Tohru elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't be selfish, Kitty," she told him. "You can give up your milk for _one_ day. I don't think it'll kill you."

"Hmmph." Kyo reluctantly handed Becky his carton of white milk. "There, I guess."

"And here!" Tohru set an apple down in front of the rest. "You can have my apple!" She leaned over and whispered, "I give them all too much in their lunches, anyway, so you're probably doing them a favor."

"Awwww, you guys…" Becky felt tears coming to her eyes, and she looked down into her lap. She sobbed for a few seconds before running her wrist over her eyes. She was so grateful to Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, and Hatsuharu. They hardly knew her, and yet they each gave her a portion of their lunch. "Guys…"

"Becky-chan!" She felt Tohru's hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay? What's the matter? Is something wrong? I can take you to the nurse, if you want!"

Becky struggled to catch her breath. "T-Tohru-chan, I… I just…" She looked up at all the members of the table. Their images were blurred because of the tears clouding her eyes at the moment, but she could still tell who was who. "Thank you all so much!" She rubbed at her eyes. "I just… I've never… all my life, I've never been treated like this. Nobody's ever been so nice to me before. I've always been the odd one out… the freak…" She took a few gulps of breath, and tried to blink the tears away. "I just… I don't know what to say to tell you how I feel."

"Awww, look at Becky-chan." Tohru's arms enveloped Becky in a warm, friendly hug. "She's all choked up about this! Yuki-kun, give her a napkin, will you?"

"You don't have to tell me twice, Honda-san." A hand, which she knew as Yuki's, offered her a paper napkin. "Here, Rebecca."

"Th-Thanks, Yuki-kun." She dabbed at her eyes, and she could see better, and everyone was looking at her. "I'm… so lucky to have met people like you on first day. I mean, I wasn't even sure about coming here… but this makes me feel a lot better about it. I think my mom made a good decision moving us here."

Tohru put a hand on her back. "Positive thinking, Becky-chan! Every cloud has a silver lining. Maybe you can come over to the Sohmas' sometime! Everybody would just love to meet you. And don't worry about anything, okay? We're all here for you. I promise."

Murmurs of agreement were heard all around the table. Becky nodded, managing a smile. "Thanks, all of you. I promise, I'll… I'll try to… I'll try not to cry anymore.

"It's okay to cry!" Tohru declared. She sat back down and unwrapped her own sandwich. "You just gotta make sure it's for the right reasons. Now, eat up! You'll need your strength to get through gym, which, coincidentally, you and I have next period!"

"Tohru," Kyo groaned. "You peeked at her schedule? Geez, that is so like you!"

"Yup! And that's why you _looooove_ meh!"

Becky smiled, and looked over at Yuki. He was looking back at her, but his eyes were half-closed. She felt heat rise in her cheeks, as she realized she found him very attractive. She broke her gaze away, and began tearing the crusts off the half-sandwich he'd given her.

_I guess this place isn't going to be as bad as I thought it would be._

**So… what did y'all think? :) Hope you liked it!**

**And I'm beginning a new thing, OK? I'm going to give you a sneak peek of the next chapter from here on out. So, when you see my signature, read AFTER that and that's a preview of chapter 4. Hope you enjoy!**

**Till next time!**

**~Ai-chan ^^**

_**xxx**_

_Preview of Chapter 4…_

"_Oh, Becky." Nancy turned around and shut the heat off under the spaghetti. "Really, it's just some old superstition. You wouldn't believe it, anyway, so there's not use telling you, ne?"_

"_Ma, come on!"_

"_Oh, for goodness's sakes, Rebecca." Nancy began to drain the pasta. "The legend is that each of the members of the Sohma family are possessed by an animal of the Chinese Zodiac, and that – and this is the weird, crazy part – when their bodies are under a great amount of stress, they revert back to their animal. You know – a rat, a snake, a cow. That kind of thing. But after all, it was just a legend."_


	4. Chapter 4

_With these hands, I will dispel all negative rumors about you._

Becky practically flew home from school. She had some math homework that she wasn't exactly eager to complete, since she hated "sine, cosine, tangent", but she was excited to talk to her mother. Nancy wouldn't believe the day she'd had. She had found friends on the first day! That was definitely worth getting hyped up about.

She stopped her walk as she noticed a young blonde boy setting up what looked to her like a hopscotch board. He drew with chalk, and his eyes were a very pretty hazel. She drew closer to him. "Hey!" she called. "Whatcha doin'?"

He looked up at her, and grinned happily. "I'm playin' hopscotch! You wanna play?"

"Well, I have to get home. But I don't think one round could hurt." She fastened her backpack safely around her shoulders. "I'm Rebecca Bridges – you can call me Becky or Becca. What's your name?"

"I'm Momiji Sohma." He dug around in his bag. "You want a water-drop bead or a cross-shaped bead as your marker?"

"Uh… cross."

"Cool! I like the water-drop one." He first tossed the silver cross bead. "There!"

She hopped with one foot, then two, then one and stayed balanced. "So, you're Momiji Sohma? One of my new friends at school mentioned you. Got any brothers or sisters?"

"No, but Kyo Sohma's closest to me in the family. He goes to the high school." He tossed a blue bead, and hopped to the space in front of her on two feet. "You know him?"

"I didn't till today. It's my first day in this city. But he seems… nnnnnnice." She virtually had to force the word out, as she couldn't think of a better adjective to describe Kyo.

"Hee-hee." Momiji threw the cross again, making her take two hops to a space where she was once more standing like a flamingo. "You don't hafta pretend like you like him, Becca-chan. Even _I_ know he's kinda unpleasant. He can be nice when he wants to be, but other than those times… yeah." He shrugged, tossing his water-drop and hopping once. "At least he's got Tohru-chan. She _makes_ him be nice, whether he wants to or not!"

"Ha-ha. You're funny, Momiji-kun. So you go to the middle school?"

"I'm fifteen – I'm goin' to the high school next year."

"_You're_ fifteen? Wow! You look a lot younger. By the time you're thirty, you'll still look eighteen, ha-ha."

"Yeah, everyone says that. Anyway, Kyo checks my homework sometimes, 'cause I ask him for help. He's good with that, 'cause he's real smart."

"Is he?"

"Yeah. Last year, he got straight B's."

"Ha!" She took her last jump. "Ah. Well, I'm afraid that's all I have time for, Momiji-kun. Sorry. I have a lotta math homework I gotta do. My mom'll kill me if I fail to turn in my first assignment. Thanks for a great game! Maybe we can play again tomorrow. Are you always here after school?"

"Yep."

"Okay! It's a date, then."

"Ha-ha, _date_. You're funny, too, Becca-chan."

"Bye, Momiji-kun!"

"Bye-bye!"

Becky hurried home and opened the door. "Ma! Hey, Ma!"

Her mother was already cooking dinner – spaghetti. "Hey, bluejay. You seem happy, how was school? Or are you just happy 'cause you saw a truck accident on the way home?"

"Nope, it was school, but I would have _loved_ to see that." She sat down at the counter. "This girl I met, her name's Tohru Honda. And she knows this family called the Sohmas."

"Ah, the Sohmas." Nancy turned the heat down on the spaghetti. "They're something – the stuff of legend."

"Huh? You know them?"

"Well… you know, word gets around."

"Ma. That may have worked when I was ten, but I'm not ten anymore. Y'know, unless you failed to notice? Now 'fess up."

"Okay, okay! Confession time. I went to a university around here, and there was a man named Hatori Sohma who attended with me. We were lab partners. I don't quite know what happened to him after that, but as you can see, I became a work-at-home medical consultant and homemaker."

"Hatori-san. Oh! Tohru mentioned him – he's a doctor now."

"Ah. The lucky ones always get away from me." Nancy shook her head, leaning over the counter and resting her chin in her hand. "I worked up the nerve to ask him out once, but… the date was a complete disaster. I swear, the man was so doggone nervous. We went to a movie – he wouldn't let me get close to him, he wouldn't put his arm around me, and every time I reiws to kiss him on the cheek, the man acted like I was a cobra 'bout to bite him!" She sighed. "I swear… but he was a sweet thing. Good-looking, too. I almost wish I'd married him instead of that lazy sack I'm forced to call your father."

"Huh."

"So, who did you meet?"

"Kyo Sohma, who's Tohru's boyfriend, Hatsuharu Sohma, and Yuki Sohma. I actually think… Yuki's kind of… cute. Oh, and on the way home I met Kyo's closest friend in the family, Momiji Sohma."

"Oh. Interesting…"

"_Ma_."

"_Rebecca_."

"Oh, knock it off. And… what were talking about, the Sohma family is the stuff of legends?"

"Oh…" Nancy's face turned red. "I shouldn't have even mentioned that."

"But what did you mean?" Becky pressed. She was actually interested in whatever her mom had been talking about.

"Oh, Becky." Nancy turned around and shut the heat off under the spaghetti. "Really, it's just some old superstition. You wouldn't believe it, anyway, so there's not use telling you, ne?" **(1)**

"Ma, come on!"

"Oh, for goodness's sakes, Rebecca." Nancy began to drain the pasta. "The legend is that each of the members of the Sohma family are possessed by an animal of the Chinese Zodiac, and that – and this is the weird, crazy part – when their bodies are under a great amount of stress, they revert back to their animal. You know – a rat, a snake, a cow. That kind of thing. But after all, it was just a legend. I don't at all suspect it's true – not one bit. There were plenty of times that Hatori was under a crushing deal of stress, and since he was born in April, his animal would have been the dragon. And did I ever see that man magically poof into a dragon while we were doing a chemistry project? Noooo, siree. Uh-uh, _hell_ no. He stayed his good, old, handsome self." Nancy dumped the noodles into a bowl. "I don't believe it, and I don't think you should, either. It's just a bunch of nonsense, and you'll get yourself into trouble if you go around accusing the Sohmas of things – especially things like that hocus-pocus hoo-ha." She brushed her hands off on her apron. "Now, you go wash your hands. Supper's almost ready."

Becky nodded. "Okay, Ma." She put her bookbag down on the couch, and headed up the stairs to the bathroom.

Her mother's voice followed her: "And you make sure that tomorrow, you invite this Yuki boy over! I want to see what he's like!"

Becky rolled her eyes. Yeah, _that_ was why her mom wanted her to invite Yuki over. "You don't wanna know what he's like, Ma," she sighed, pushing the door to the bathroom open. "You just wanna ask him if Hatori-san is still single so you can get into his pants." **(2)**

But, she decided as she lathered her hands with soap, she would invited Yuki over for dinner the next day. _She_ wanted to know what Yuki was like.

**(1) "Ne" is "huh" in Japanese. It can be used as either "Huh, what did you say?" or as something equivalent to "right?" In this case, Nancy is saying, "You won't believe it, so there's no use telling you, right?"**

**(2) Oh, come on. :snickers: You all know that's funny.**

**OK, here's a preview of chapter 5!**

**Till next time!**

**~Ai-chan ^^**

_Kyo perked up. "Hmm? W-Wait, I'm sorry!"_

"_Well… okay, I accept that." Becky took the plastic milk bottle out of her bag and handed it to Kyo. "There!"_

"_Yaaaaaay! You're awesome, Becks!" Kyo began to chug the milk down. "She can come over to __our__ house anytime, Tohru-koi!"_

_Tohru clapped. "Awesome! We'll have to have her over sometime this weekend, maybe, then. I hope Akito-sama won't mind."_

"_Akito minds __everything__," Kyo scoffed. "He's just an old __meaner__."_


	5. Chapter 5

_With these hands, I will accept your kindness._

Becky was almost ashamed to say it, but she was actually kind of looking forward to school the next day. Why should she be excited? She was a teenager; teenagers hated school. Or were supposed to, anyway. But she was excited because she would get to see Yuki again and invite him over to her house. She really hoped he'd say yes. Even if he didn't at first, a little poking and prodding from Tohru might get him to agree. It wasn't like it was inappropriate to ask a new friend to come to your house. But if he simply refused, at least she'd get to see it in pretty writing.

She wore her uniform to school, like always, but had a pink belly shirt and a pair of blue jeans on under it. She also put on a silver chain necklace with a pendant of a white raindrop at the end. That she was to kiss up to Momiji with. He seemed to like her, anyway, and he liked water-drops, it appeared. She wanted to wear something he'd like, so he could go home and talk about it to his family, make a good impression for her.

Today, she had been smart and asked Nancy to pack her a lunch with the leftover spaghetti, French-style green beans, and some oatmeal cookies. She also put in a plastic bottle filled with milk, in hopes of redeeming herself in Kyo's eyes. She slid her finished geometry worksheet into her math folder, and slung her bookbag over her shoulders. She grabbed her lunch, and gave Nancy a nuzzle on the cheek with her nose. "Bye, Ma! Have fun with your patients – I'll see you when I get home! I might have Yuki tagging along, so try not to embarrass me!"

"Can do, puddin' pop!"

"Yeah, like _that_, Ma!"

Becky reached school in record time (two minutes) and got her things in her locker. She got all she needed for periods one through five, closing her locker just as the warning bell rang. One minute later, she burst into Koharumoto-san's history class not a second before the late bell reverberated its final judgment through the building. "I MADE IT!" she shouted to the heavens, doing a little dance. "I'm not late!"

"Quite right," Koharumoto-san agreed, "but if you don't sit down in about five seconds, I'll give you detention for disorderly conduct, Miss Bridges."

"Uh…" She blushed as she noticed a few students chortling at her. "I can do that, sir." She hurried over to her seat behind Yuki and began to write furiously.

_Yuki-kun-_

_Hiya! How are you doing today? I had a crazy convo with my mom last night, but she was funny. It turns out she used to know Hatori-san in college, and went out with him once, but she broke it off because he wouldn't let her be affectionate. I wanted to invite you over to my house today – and I'm pretty sure my mom wants to know if Hatori-san is still single._

_What's your answer?_

_- Becky_

She had just finished writing when she noticed Yuki saying her name. "Rebecca."

She looked up. "Yeah?" she whispered back.

"I trust there won't be any more notes today?"

"Hee-hee." She grinned, flipping the latest over his shoulder. "Here comes one now, Yuki-kun!"

He sighed, but scanned it, and then began to write. A moment later, he dropped another paper that looked more like origami than a note on her desk. She unfolded it and read it eagerly.

_Rebecca-_

_I'm doing fine, thank you. I find it surprising and intriguing that your mother was affiliated with Hatori-san, and especially that they were romantically involved. It's not my place, however, to answer that question to your mother… but to you? Hatori-san is dating Mayuko-san, Tohru and Kyo's homeroom teacher. I'm not sure it it'll last or not, though – it could go either way._

_I'd love to come… but I have a previous engagement. So, I'm afraid I won't be able to come tonight._

_Perhaps some other time. My sincerest apologies._

_Yuki_

Becky felt tears pricking at her eyes, but forced herself not to cry. After all.. he said he might be able to do it some other time, right? That'd be okay, too.

But she could only imagine what kind of mood her mother would be in when she was informed that Hatori Sohma, who she indefinitely had the hots for, was taken – by a _schoolteacher_, no less. She could just hear her mother's voice now. _"What does a teacher have that I don't?" "I could give him a lot more!" "Hatori and I have so much more history!"_

She quickly wrote another note to Yuki.

_Yuki-_

_That's OK. Maybe some other time. My mom'll be upset about Hatori-san, though… see you at lunch!_

_Becky_

She gave that note to Yuki, and he didn't write her back. He did, however, nod almost imperceptibly to let her know he was fine with what she'd written.

She let out a sigh, and shook her head. Second day here, and she already felt just a little bit unwelcome…

xxx

When Becky got to lunch this time, she immediately scanned the room for the table the Sohmas and Tohru were sitting at. She finally found it and walked over, holding up a hand in greeting. "Hey, guys," she said as cheerfully as she could, taking her already usual seat between Tohru and Yuki. "What's goin' on?"

"Not much with me," Tohru answered, taking a bite out of her sandwich. "But, hey, Yuki! Didn't you have something _to tell Becky_?" Her tone was firm, threatening retribution if he didn't do as she said.

"Mmm." Yuki finished swallowing the bite he'd taken, and sighed, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Yes, I suppose. Ah, well, Rebecca… Tohru has taken the _gracious_ liberty of moving my plans for this evening to tomorrow night. So, I can come over to your house. Is that alright with you?"

"Oh!" Becky felt actually very grateful to Tohru, and delighted that Yuki was going to come. "That's – yeah, that's great! Thanks, Tohru-chan!" She hugged the other girl.

"You're welcome, Becky-chan!" Tohru hugged her back, much more tightly.

"_Leeesbooo_," Kyo joked.

Becky let go of Tohru and crossed her arms. "Oh, well, Kyo-kun, maybe I won't give you the treat I brought for you today. Maybe that just ruined the fact that I kind of wanted to be nice to you after Tohru forced you to give up your milk yesterday."

Kyo perked up. "Hmm? W-Wait, I'm sorry!"

"Well… okay, I accept that." Becky took the plastic milk bottle out of her bag and handed it to Kyo. "There!"

"Yaaaaaay! You're awesome, Becks!" Kyo began to chug the milk down. "She can come over to _our_ house anytime, Tohru-koi!" **(1)**

Tohru clapped. "Awesome! We'll have to have her over sometime this weekend, maybe, then. I hope Akito-sama won't mind."

"Akito minds _everything_," Kyo scoffed. "He's just an old _meaner_."

"That reminds me," Yuki spoke up. "I wanted to ask you why your mother is interested in Hatori-san. Isn't she married?"

Becky looked down. "Actually… my parents are divorced."

"Oh, that's so sad," Tohru commented. "But we're all supporting you! You don't have to be sad about it, okay?"

"Thanks, Tohru-chan." Becky offered Hatsuharu some of her green beans. "Here, Haru-kun! You want any?"

"Ha-ha, cool!" He happily took it. "It looks like grass!"

Becky raised an eyebrow, but ignored it. "Yuki-kun, do you want some of my spaghetti?"

"Uh… no, thanks. There are few American foods I like. But thank you for the offer."

"Okay, then." Becky began to gleefully eat the rest of her lunch. If she hurried through this day, she'd get to take Yuki home faster. She couldn't wait for that, and she also wanted to see Momiji again.

But mostly she'd take pleasure in her mother's face when she told her that Hatori wasn't available.

_**Preview of Chapter 6…**_

_**xxx**_

"_Hmm." Yuki held the door open for her. "You are actually a very interesting person, Rebecca. Perhaps…" He got close to her, so that their noses weren't two inches apart. "… I could tell you one of my secrets some time. I'm not sure, but… maybe."_

_Becky felt her throat tighten up as she remembered the pain that had enveloped her body when Mike had kissed her. She hadn't been able to breathe then, and he had only been a little closer to her than Yuki was now. It was almost like a psychosomatic trigger, and all of a sudden she couldn't breathe._


	6. Chapter 6

_With these hands, I will do whatever I can to help you._

Becky honestly thought the day would _never_ end. After lunch, she and Tohru had gym, which she hated; at least she wouldn't have it next year. After that, she had Spanish, which was hard for her and which she was _so_ not planning on taking next year. And finally, she muddled through her last period, geometry. Most of her homework was right; she'd made a few mistakes with the tangent formula, though, but she'd correct them later. It seemed as if that final bell would never ring. She had been watching the clock since 2:20, and the 2:29 seemed to drag on forever, denying her 3:00, when the bell would ring and Yuki would meet her at her locker to have dinner with her and Nancy.

She was just packing the last of her books into her backpack when she heard her name. "Rebecca?"

She turned around and smiled when she saw Yuki. "Hey, Yuki-kun! Ready to go meet my mom?"

A ghost of a smile played on his lips. "… I don't really have much choice in the matter, now, do I, Rebecca?"

"You're so funny. Just give me a few seconds to finish up and make sure I have everything." She skimmed her eyes over her locker, and decided she had everything. She shut the door and fell into step beside Yuki, heading for the front doors. "You have Shoosetsu-san for English?"

"Yes," he answered, looking straight ahead.

"Ugh." Becky held up a book, _San Nozomi_ by Etsuko Torami. **(1)** "Do you believe the size of this book? I read at a third-grade level – I don't know how she expects me to get this and the project for it done in one month, not to mention studying for the test."

Yuki chuckled, finally looking over at her. "I've already read that book, so I'm one of the lucky ones who just has to review it a little bit. It's actually a very good story. About a woman who finds a genie in a vase, and gets three wishes, but then she falls in love with the genie. She becomes torn between her desires for the wishes and her passion for the magical figure granting them."

"Wow. That's a tragic love story if I ever heard one." Becky took another glance at the title, which she now realized translated to _Three Wishes_. "So… exactly what it says on the tin, huh? Cool. Maybe I'll actually read it instead of getting SparkNotes…" She glanced over at Yuki, who was blinking at her. "Which I don't… do that often?"

"I can tell you do it a lot, Rebecca – you're not a very good liar." There was a slight glimmer in his eye, as if he found her taking the easy way out of things funny. "But I won't tell on you… if you promise to read this book, at least."

"Oh, yeah, of course. And… what's the project for it, again?"

"Write an essay about what you would do if you were the woman in the book – or the genie, if you're male. But since you're not, you'll be the woman. It has to be at least a page, but three pages is the limit."

"Oh, cool. You know, I already think I know what I'd do!"

"You haven't even read the book." He sounded amused, as if she'd done something funny. "But what would you do?"

"I'd use the first wish to make all my many secrets disappear into thin air. That would help my family a lot. And then I'd use my second wish to… oh… I dunno…" She shrugged. "To be totally honest, I'd probably wish for a two-foot-long Italian meat stick and a huge loaf of French bread."

"Really." It sounded like Yuki was struggling not to laugh. "And what would you use your last wish for?"

"I'd use it to free the genie so we could be together, of course."

"Hmm." Yuki held the door open for her. "You are actually a very interesting person, Rebecca. Perhaps…" He got close to her, so that their noses weren't two inches apart. "… I could tell you one of my secrets some time. I'm not sure, but… maybe."

Becky felt her throat tighten up as she remembered the pain that had enveloped her body when Mike had kissed her. She hadn't been able to breathe then, and he had only been a little closer to her than Yuki was now. It was almost like a psychosomatic trigger **(2)**, and all of a sudden she couldn't breathe. She coughed and suddenly collapsed on the ground, and the feeling of not getting any air overtook her. "H-Help!"

"Rebecca!" She felt Yuki's hands on her back and shoulder. "Rebecca, what's the matter?" He sounded so worried, and it was scaring her. She didn't want him to worry about her; _he_ sounded scared, and he was the stoic one. Having him upset wasn't making _her_ feel any better.

"I-I can barely breathe! H-Help!"

"Wh-What-? I don't know what I'm supposed to do! Do you have an inhaler or epinephrine or something?"

"No, I just… it's not… this shouldn't be happening!" She gasped for breath, and hardly any air entered her throat.

"Oh, God…" She could hear the tremble in Yuki's voice. "This can't be happening… Rebecca!"

"Y-Yuki-kun…" She coughed again, trying to breathe.

"Please…"

Time slowed down, and she felt Yuki's hands tightening around her wrists. Out of nowhere, his forehead rested against hers. She felt herself calming down, and her eyes closed. His forehead was cool against hers, his dark hair brushing her cheeks and temples. One long strand of his hair even tickled her lip. She curled her fingers around his hands, and the feeling was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. She felt happy.

… _Did I even feel this way after half a year with Mike?_

All at once, she could breathe again. She gulped in a big breath and coughed. She carefully pushed Yuki away and sat up, breathing as deeply as she could. "I-I think I'm okay…" She panted for a moment, placing her hand on her chest in shock. "I… I think… I'll be alright…" She looked over at him. "Are… Are _you_ okay, Yuki-kun?"

"Yes…" He looked a little rattled as he smoothed his hair back and got up. "Yes, I'm fine, I was… just worried about you." He offered her his hand, and pulled her to her feet. "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah… I'm alright. I can breathe again."

"What happened? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's just… you were a little… close. I-I'm kind of g-getting over a relationship that… didn't turn out right. I guess… that's what's going to happen whenever a boy gets too close now."

"Well…" Yuki led her out, placing a hand on her back. "Don't hurt yourself over it. We've all had at least one bad break-up. How awful could it be?"

"… I just…" She winced when the sun hit her, and shielded her eyes. "He found out… about one of my secrets. You know, the one that I'll… probably never be able to change. I thought he would accept it… take me as I am. But he was so terrified of me after he found out… he broke up with me and ran away. He said he couldn't handle it and that… he didn't think we could be together anymore…"

"Well… then, I think he's a coward. Listen… don't worry about this so much, Rebecca. It's not worth making yourself sick over." He stopped, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You know… I would accept any secret you told me, Rebecca. I know we've only known each other for, like, two days… but you won't change in my eyes."

She managed a smile at him, and she reached up, placing her hand over his on her shoulder. "Thank you, Yuki… you really don't know how much that means to me."

**(1) This will probably have little significance later, but I needed something for them to talk about. XD**

**(2) Psychosomatic refers to a physical problem caused by an emotional trigger. In Becky's case, the trigger is her fear of letting someone get close to her, and the physical problem is difficulty breathing.**

**Till next time!**

**~Ai-chan ^^  
**

_**Preview of Chapter 7**_

_**xxx**_

_Becky pushed her door open. "Heyyyyyy, Mama-Mama-Mama! We got two extras for dinner!"_

"_Two?" Nancy looked back from frying chicken and rice. "Oh, hey! Momiji-chan!" She grinned, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Glad you came for dinner, hon!" She turned the stove off. "It just has to sit for two minutes." She walked over and held her arms out. "And you must be Yuki! Oooh, Rebecca has told me so much about you! It's so nice to meet ya!" She pulled both of the Sohmas into a tight, probably bone-crushing hug. "You boys are both so cute!"_

"_Sorry, guys," Becky laughed. "She's a hugger!"_


	7. Chapter 7

_With these hands, I will welcome you into my life._

Becky walked Yuki the way to her house in relative silence. She pointed things out, like the houses she liked, and the flowers she thought were pretty. In all honesty, she wanted to hurry up and get home. She was excited for Nancy to meet Yuki. Pretty much the only thing she wasn't looking forward to was her mom's response when she found out that Hatori Sohma wasn't single. Nancy's face would be hilarious, of course, but the screaming might be a problem.

"So," she commented, "what was the last book you guys read before _San Nozomi_?"

"It was called _Garasu Bara_."

In her head, Becky translated that. "_Glass Rose_. Oh, that sounds so beautiful. What was it about?"

"It was, um… this girl who was made of glass. She was just a sculpture, until this guy came along and kissed her and made her real. But every night, when he kissed her, she'd turn back into a statue till he kissed her again. They had to find a way to break that curse."

"Wish I could have read that." She smiled slightly. It sounded a little like her own curse. Both involved kissing, right? "It sounds so awesome. Was it any good?"

"Oh, yes. It had a very happy ending."

"Aw. Did they end up together?"

"Yes."

"And they broke the curse?"

"Uh-huh."

"Wow." She could see Momiji in the distance, waiting for her, and she shook her head. "That's the power of love for ya."

"That's one way to put it."

"Becca-chan!" Momiji greeted cheerfully, waving at her. "Oh! Hey, Yuki-kun! Why ya walkin' home with Becca-chan?"

"Her mother wanted to meet me," Yuki replied, before Becky could say anything.

"Ohhhh, Bridges-san? She's nice. She came out and saw me, and asked me if I wanted anythin'. I like her. Oh, and she makes good chocolate chip cookies."

"Oh, cool." She looked over at Yuki. "Hey, Yuki… would you mind if Momiji-kun tagged along for dinner?"

Yuki shrugged. "Not at all."

"Okay!" Becky looked back at Momiji. "Hey, Momiji-kun, do you wanna have dinner with Yuki, my mom, and me?"

"Yay!" He immediately jumped up, abandoning his chalk and yellow hopscotch board. "Yum-yum!"

"Okay! To the Bridges Clan house!" Becky began to march toward her house, leading a mini military procession. "Hup, two! Hup, two! Yah, yah!"

Momiji giggled and followed her like a soldier following his commander. Yuki just trudged along behind them, sighing in an amused fashion.

Becky pushed her door open. "Heyyyyyy, Mama-Mama-Mama! We got two extras for dinner!"

"Two?" Nancy looked back from frying chicken and rice. "Oh, hey! Momiji-chan!" She grinned, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Glad you came for dinner, hon!" She turned the stove off. "It just has to sit for two minutes." She walked over and held her arms out. "And _you_ must be Yuki! Oooh, Rebecca has told me so much about you! It's so nice to meet ya!" She pulled both of the Sohmas into a tight, probably bone-crushing hug. "You boys are both so cute!"

"Sorry, guys," Becky laughed. "She's a hugger!"

"Uh," Yuki stammered. "M-Mrs. Bridges, I don't think this is such a good…"

All of a sudden, there was a _poof_ sound and a puff of smoke. And Yuki and Momiji weren't there anymore. Instead, Nancy held in her arms a squirming yellow rabbit with red eyes. "Wh-What the hell?" Nancy cried, dropping the rabbit to the floor, where it scampered around.

Becky looked down and saw a rat with red eyes scurrying around her feet. Her own eyes widened and she shrieked. "Mom, oh, my God!" She climbed up on a chair. "Dear God, it's a mouse!"

"That's not a mouse, Rebecca! That's a _rat_!"

"It doesn't matter, it's vermin, Ma!"

"Where's the broom?"

Suddenly, everything started to come together in Becky's mind. That curse on the Sohma family that Nancy mentioned – maybe it wasn't just when they got stressed. That must have been why Hatori wouldn't hug Nancy when he'd gone out with her all those years ago! Was the transformation triggered by a hug? Then it wasn't just a legend… "Ma, no!" she shouted. "I think they might be Yuki and Momiji!"

"Well – I mean – how is that _possible_?" Nancy was obviously freaking out and having a hard time taking this.

"Ma, the curse! Maybe they change when somebody hugs them!"

Nancy already had the broom and was chasing the white rat – Yuki – around the kitchen. "Well, what are we supposed to do about it?"

"Catch them! I'll get Yuki, you get Momiji!" Becky began to run after Yuki's rat form. "Come here, Yuki! Come here, and I'll – I'll – I dunno, I'll give you some cheese or peanut butter or something!" She finally got close enough to him and scooped him up in both hands. "Gotcha, Yuki!" She cupped one hand over the hand he was seated on, and looked up. "Ma, get Momiji! He's going up the stairs!"

"Damn it, you little bunny-boy or whatever you are, stay down here!" Nancy ran halfway up the stairs and came back down with a wiggling Momiji in her arms, clutching him to her chest. "He's trying to get away, Rebecca!"

There was a small poof of smoke. Somebody coughed, and there was Momiji, laying on the floor, stark naked. He was trying to cover himself up. "B-Bridges-san!" he squealed. "C-Can I please have a blanket?"

"For God's sakes, the boy's in the nude!" Nancy grabbed a jacket off the back of a chair and wrapped it around Momiji, kneeling beside him. "Are you okay, Momiji?" she asked, clearly trying to calm herself down.

"Y-Yeah…" His face was almost completely red. "I-I'm sorry…"

Becky carefully removed her hand over the top of the other to find Yuki nibbling at her thumb. "Ouch! Yuki!" She took him by the tail and dangled him in the air, holding him at eye level. "H-How do I change _you_ back, Yuki?"

He squeaked for a few seconds, then swung himself closer to her and nuzzled her nose with his.

Becky took him back in her hands and thought, staring into his crimson eyes. If they changed when they were hugged, and Momiji changed back when Nancy hugged him… maybe that was it. She took Yuki with both hands and hugged him and tightly as she could without hurting him.

Nancy, always prepared, grabbed a towel from the cabinet and tossed it over in the direction of the smoke puff. Yuki was suddenly there, holding the towel over his body as best he could. "I'm so sorry," he stuttered, just sitting there.

"Where the hell did all your clothes go?" Becky wondered out loud, looking all over for them.

"Well," Momiji started, "when you're turning into an animal of the Zodiac all of a sudden…"

"You really don't think about it," Yuki finished. "I'm so sorry about this, Rebecca… I didn't mean for this to happen…"

"I-It's okay." Becky looked over at her mom. "Uh, Ma… you got anything for them to wear?"

"I probably have some of Bret's **(1)** littler clothes for Momiji… but you're going to have to find _something_ for Yuki."

"Okay." As Nancy went up the stairs with Momiji, Becky pulled Yuki up. "Come on, to my room. And you better keep that towel around yourself till I give you something to wear."

"Yes'm," he mumbled as he followed her, clearly embarrassed. "Again, I'm sorry…"

"It's the curse, isn't it?" she said softly, pulling the door to her room open. "The Sohma curse."

"How do you…?"

"My mom said she'd heard about it while she and Hatori-san were in college. They were lab partners… but I guess they only went out once."

"I'm… surprised he would tell her."

"See, I don't think he did. She says she thought it was just a legend. But I guess… it's not."

"…" Yuki's eyes bored into hers when she looked up. "Just so you know, Rebecca… after this evening, I'm going to have to bring you and your mother to Hatori-san to have your memories of this erased. We can trust no one… I'm sorry, but… we can't take any chances. Honda-san… she's the only one outside our family that knows. We can't take the risk of telling anyone else."

Oh, how Becky wanted to tell him about her own curse. But she couldn't. Her mother would be disappointed, because they had never told anyone else outside of the family. If she was going to tell Yuki – and that was a big _if_ – she'd have to talk it over with her mother first. She looked around in her closet, and pulled out a pair of jeans and an oversized white T-shirt. "Here, you can wear these. Go in the bathroom and change. And I'm sure my mom wants that towel back."

"Thank you." He left.

Becky furiously grabbed her diary out of the drawer, and snatched her blue sparkle-gel pen. She began to write quickly. She wrote about the Sohmas' curse, and that it wasn't just a legend. She wrote down what caused them to change, and what Yuki and Momiji's animals were. She also mentioned that Hatori could erase people's minds. After that, she hurriedly closed it and slammed it back in the drawer.

If Yuki saw what she'd written, he would rip it up and throw it away.

This would be her only evidence if she ever looked at it again.

She felt tears come to her eyes as she thought – Nancy wouldn't remember seeing Hatori, her lab partner, for the first time since college.

That was the worst part of this.

**(1) Bret? You'll find out who he is later. ^^ Around Chapter 15 I think.**

_**Preview of Chapter 8…**_

_**xxx**_

_Becky raised an eyebrow. The guy had a fan club? She honestly wondered, for just a second, who the president of that freak show was. Then she decided she would be so much better off not knowing._

"_Thanks," she giggled over Yuki's shoulder. "You're the best!"_


	8. Chapter 8

_With these hands, I will eagerly pass the time as I wait to meet your loved ones._

Becky opened her eyes and stretched a little bit, yawning. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking at the clock. It was beeping at her, so she shut it off and got out of bed. She took a peek down the stairs and saw her mother sitting there, looking tired and trying to wake up with a cup of coffee. She smiled and went back to her room to take a shower.

She was out in five minutes, and wore a black sweater and jeans under her uniform. She put on a gold necklace with a rose pendant, and earrings to match, then got her black flats on. She bounded down the stairs and gave her mother a quick squeeze. "How ya doin', Ma?"

"Oh, fine." She looked up. "Just… remembering some of the times I had with Hatori." She tapped the small book in front of her. "I found a photo album filled with pictures of us when we were in college."

"Can I see?"

"Oh, sure, sure." Nancy turned to a page of a young girl in her 20's with auburn hair and bright green eyes holding up a paper, along with a man about her age with dark blue-black hair, bangs over one gold eye, glasses over both, holding up another paper. "Oh, this is when I got my first college chem test back and he got one of his midterms – he'd already been there two years longer than I had. We were so excited, and for what? I got a C minus, and he got an A minus. He always was smarter than me. He stopped wearing those glasses during our last year – got contacts." She turned to another picture of the same two college kids holding up a silver trophy, standing in front of an aquarium with several flamboyantly-colored fish in it. "And this is when we won second place in the district medicinal science fair for our experimental study on marine life." The final picture was of her mother, in a lovely dark orange dress, decorated with silver around the edges, next to Hatori, who was dressed in a black tuxedo. They were holding hands, his other hand was on her shoulder, her other hand was on his chest, and they were both smiling. "Oh, this was Senior Prom Night, class of 1994. He only took me because neither of us had dates – but we had a good time. He was so cautious about dancing, though – never got too close to me. Right after school, I met your father, and we got married…" She sighed. "I wish I could see him again… just once, you know?" She closed the book and picked up her coffee cup. "So, why couldn't Yuki come last night?" she asked before taking a sip.

"Oh, I dunno." She hiked her backpack up on her shoulder. "He said he had other plans. I'll ask him if you can come tonight, and I can call you during lunch to see if he can."

"Alright. Well, it's almost time for school, so you better get walking, missy. Scoot, I'll see you after school. And me… I have to get busy with my online patients." She ruffled Becky's hair. "See you later, kiddo."

"Bye, Ma." She hurried off to school, and desperately hoped that Yuki could come over today.

xxx

Becky happily took her seat behind Yuki. She smiled at him, but he barely gave her a smile back. She barely noticed he was happy to see her, even though she suspected he was. She took out her notebook, and wrote a note to Yuki.

_Yuki-_

_Hiya! Doing okay? Anyway, my mom still wants to meet you. Can you come over tonight?_

_Becky_

She passed it over his shoulder and waited patiently for a response, idly listening to Koharumoto-san's babbling on about World War II. The Germans started that one, had they? Huh.

Not two minutes later, another origami note landed on her desk. She opened it and read it.

_Rebecca-_

_I'm fine. Not tonight, either, I'm afraid. Hatori-san needs help with some of his patients' files, and I promised I'd do it. Forgive me. Perhaps sometime this weekend, but it's not set in stone._

_Yuki_

Becky crumpled the note, tears threatening. But then she realized it was useless to cry. She knew it wouldn't get Yuki to agree to anything. No matter how nice he was, there was no denying the fact that he was stubborn. Her brain cooked up a new idea, though, so she sent another note his way.

_Yuki-_

_Hi, me again. Gee, it's too bad you can't come over. But, hey – how about if I come over to your house tonight? I kind of want to meet Hatori-san. And I'd like to see Momiji, and… maybe I could help you help Hatori-san? I think it'd be fun. So what do you say?_

_Becky_

_P.S. If you don't agree, I'll just go over your head and tell Tohru you won't let me come over, and I'll be going no matter what __your__ answer is. :)_

She gave that to him, and waited. She copied down a few notes, and finally received another message from him.

_Rebecca-_

_Fine. But only because I know Honda-san will not clear it with Akito first. I can call him at lunch and warn him you're coming. Knowing your personality… he'll probably want to stay in bed the entire time…_

_See you at lunch and after school, I'll walk you to my house._

_Yuki_

_P.S. If you ever did go "over my head" to Honda-san, I would sic my fan club on you. :)_

Becky raised an eyebrow. The guy had a fan club? She honestly wondered, for just a second, who the president of _that_ freak show was. Then she decided she would be so much better off not knowing.

"Thanks," she giggled over Yuki's shoulder. "You're the best!"

xxx

Becky sat, hunched over, in a bathroom stall, trying to get cell service to reach her mother. "Ma? Ma?"

Finally, there was an answer. "Rebecca? Are you there?"

"Yeah, Ma. Hi. So… yeah, change of plans. Yuki can't come over tonight, but he said I could go to _his_ house."

"Really? Oh, well… I guess that'd be alright. Are you going right after school?"

"Yeah. I don't know how long I'll be over there, or if I'll have dinner. So, can you save something for me?"

"Yeah… meatball soup okay?"

"Yup. Alright, I gotta go… somebody might catch me in here. I'll see you later!"

"If you see Hatori… tell him I said hi, okay? And when you get home, tell me how much he's changed."

"Can do. Bye-bye! I can call you from their house, too. I think I have enough battery. Okay, gotta go. Bye!"

"Bye-bye."

Becky took in a deep breath.

_I'm finally meeting the Sohmas!_

_**Preview of Chapter 9…**_

_**xxx**_

"_Come __**on**__, Shigure!" came a shout from the other room, in a fairly deep voice. "I told you, hold your breath! This isn't going to __**fit**__ if you don't __**suck in that gut of yours**__, you dog!"_

"_You're __**mean**__!" another voice, also male, whined._

"_Oh, boy," Yuki muttered under his breath._

"_What's wrong?" Becky asked, half wanting to see where the voice led and half wanting to just turn around and get the __**hell**__ out this house._

"… _Looks like Ayame and Shigure Sensei are here."_


	9. Chapter 9

_With these hands, I will treat your family as lovingly as if they were my own._

It was a bit of an odd time walking to the Sohmas' house. For one thing, Yuki walked home with Kyo and Tohru. For another, their house was apparently all the way out in the friggin' woods. It was a long, silent, rather awkward and uncomfortable walk to the place. Kyo and Tohru held hands and giggled to each other, pecking each other's lips every now and then, while Yuki looked on in disgust and rolled his eyes at the scene. Becky tried to hold Yuki's hand, in an attempt to let him know she was kind of attracted to him, but he wouldn't let her. The most he let her do was let her wrap her pinkie around his – but at least he let her do _that_ much.

Becky remembered that Hatori hadn't wanted to hug or kiss her mother when they'd gone out. As she looked over at Yuki, she wondered if maybe the whole "I-don't-wanna-show-my-emotions" thing was hereditary. If so, half the Sohmas had it – Yuki was one of that half, and Kyo was most certainly not.

"So," Becky spoke up, talking to Yuki. "I read the first chapter of _San Nozomi_ last night slash this morning."

"Oh, really?" He still didn't look at her; no, he was paying more attention to the forest around them. "I guess you're a pretty fast reader, then. What did you think of it?"

"Actually, it was better than I expected it to be. I'm definitely gonna read the whole thing, and I'm gonna pour my blood, sweat, and tears into that essay. But mostly blood."

"… Uh…?"

"I tend to play with things as I type – sometimes I get sharp things. And I'm a bleeder."

"I see. How unfortunate."

At last, the awkward silence that had seemed to drag on forever came to an abrupt end when Tohru announced happily, "We're heeeeere!" She did the favor of opening the door and ushering everyone in.

Becky looked around, slightly amazed. It was such a big house, but it looked so little from the outside! "Wow!"

"Good wow?" Yuki chuckled, placing a hand on her back.

"This place is _huge_, Yuki! Oh, this is great. I always wanted a big house like this when I was a kid, but we could never afford it."

"Come _on_, Shigure!" came a shout from the other room, in a fairly deep voice. "I told you, hold your breath! This isn't going to _fit_ if you don't _suck in that gut of yours_, you dog!"

"You're _mean_!" another voice, also male, whined.

"Oh, boy," Yuki muttered under his breath.

"What's wrong?" Becky asked, half wanting to see where the voice led and half wanting to just turn around and get the _hell_ out this house.

"… Looks like Ayame and Shigure Sensei are here."

"Why're _they_ here?" Kyo complained. "They're _never_ here! Dude, they'll ruin _everything_! Why aren't they are Shigure's house with Ritsu?"

"Oh, lighten up, Kyo," Hatsuharu (who had obviously made it home before them) commented, rolling his eyes. "You always think the worst of everything."

"Ayame and Shigure Sensei are actually harmless," Yuki assured Becky, trying to smile. "Annoying, but completely harmless."

"Oh, I see." Becky looked around. "So… which way to Hatori-san's office?"

"It's right over—"

All of a sudden, before Yuki could take her anywhere, a man with very long white hair and gold eyes came bursting out of one of the rooms. Following him was a black-haired man about the same age, wearing a lady's kimono. "I can't work with this, Shigure!" the white-haired man moaned, throwing his hands in the air despairingly. "You simply don't have the right figure for this particular outfit! I need someone younger, more full of spirit and pep and – and – and _verve_!"

"Well, Ayame," the black-haired man shot back, "if you needed a younger look, _why didn't you just dress me in a schoolgirl's sailor suit_? Huh?"

"Ugh!" The white-haired one, Ayame, rolled his eyes, placing his hands on his hips. "Not now, Shigure! I must find a new subject. But where on Earth am I going to get a new model at _this_ hour?"

"See ya," Kyo whispered to Becky, whisking himself and Tohru out of the room.

All of a sudden, Becky felt eyes on her, and looked up to see Ayame staring her down with delight. His eyes were wide and sparkling, and a smile that should be impossible for a human adorned his face. "Yes, yes, _yes_!" He shifted behind her and ran his fingers through her hair. "Long, glossy tresses, the absolute richest shade of pale gold!" He pinched her cheeks. "A youthful, enthusiastic face, no sign of aging at all yet!" He grasped her wrists. "Yes, you're perfect! Perfect, perfect, perfect! I already love you!" He looked past her at Yuki, giving him the most extreme example of the puppy-dog eyes she'd ever seen. "Oh, Yuki, may I pretty-pretty-pretty _please_ borrow your friend for a while? I need her! I simply _must_ have her to model my new kimono!"

_I'm beginning to realize why Kyo just dragged Tohru-chan out of here…_ Becky thought, almost hoping Yuki would deny Ayame's request.

"Ayame, this is my friend, Rebecca Bridges. And as _you_ can see, Rebecca," Yuki sighed, gesturing to Ayame, "this is my older brother, Ayame Sohma."

"Uh… yeah, yeah, I _do_ see." She inched away from Ayame. "Nice to… meet you, Ayame-san?"

"Please, please, _please_, dearest little brother?" Ayame was practically begging by now. "I will do _anything_ you ask for the next week! Anything! You name it! Y-You want me to come over and do your chores? Done! Help you with your homework even though I know you don't need it? Done! Put one of my own lingerie outfits on and strut around the house like that the whole day so I traumatize poor Ritsu? I'll do it! I'll do anything – _just please let me borrow her_!"

"Oh… Ayame, I don't know… she said she'd help Hatori-san, and I told him, and he planned on having another helper. Of course, I wouldn't mind – she said she wanted to get to know the family – but that would be disappointing Hatori-san."

"Oh, come _on_, Yuki-kun!" Ayame was squeezing Becky's shoulders, reluctant to give her up. "It won't take twenty minutes! I promise! I'm fast, you know I'm fast!"

"But in being fast," Yuki pointed out, "you're sacrificing _some_ degree of accuracy. I don't want to bring her home to her mother all full of pins."

"I'll take the _utmost_ caution in handling her fragile body, Yuki!"

"Why not let him?" Becky said, shrugging. "I may be a bleeder, but I don't _bruise_ easily."

"See? See? She thinks it's a good idea! Please!"

Yuki sighed. "Fine, Ayame. _Take_ her. But I warn you, if it takes more than half an hour, or if I see more than _one_ scratch or bruise on her body from a pin, you are in _trouble_."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ayame began pulling Becky toward the room he had previously been in. "_Shigure_! Get back in here and get that dress off! I found a youthful model!" He turned back to Becky, instantly cheery again. "Do you know your color type for make-up? Your hair looks like a winter, but to me, your eyes just scream spring." As he dragged her into the room, he stuck his head out the door. "Shigure! On your way in to change, grab the purple and blue eyeshadows, the dark and hot pink lipsticks, and the light red blushes! _And for God's sake, where are my comb and my water spritzer_? The girl's bangs need to be smoothed out!"

Becky gulped, as Ayame plunked her down in a chair and began to rummage through a drawer. She had a feeling this would be the longest twenty minutes of her life.

** Hee-hee, Becky's getting a makeover from Aya-chan! Can't wait to see how this turns out...**

** Till next time!**

** ~Ai-chan ^^  
**

_**Preview of Chapter 10…**_

_**xxx**_

"_In other words, you tricked me into a make-over."_

"_Now, now, Becca, let's not think of it as 'tricked'…" He looked nervous. "Okay, Shigure, get over here with my shadow sponge, my lip painter, and my blush brush!"_

_**Yep, I'm in trouble.**_


	10. Chapter 10

_With these hands, I will seek a closer connection with your family._

Becky was sitting in the chair Ayame had plunked her down in, awaiting a fitting and a make-over. Ayame had gone into the other room to get the kimono from Shigure, who she now assumed was changing into regular clothes. And from there, he would probably help Ayame with the make-up. She wasn't even dressed in the kimono and she already felt like a Malibu Barbie doll.

Ayame came back into the room, this time with the kimono over his arm. "So, Becca," he commented, walking over and beginning to arrange the make-up. "I take it you moved in not too long ago?"

"This is only my third day, actually," she admitted. "But everybody seems so nice. I kind of… like Yuki a little bit." She felt her face heat up a little. "Don't hate me for crushing on your little brother."

"Oooh!" Ayame sat beside her, gripping the arm rest. "Dear me, not at all! Oh, I just find that so sweet! Maybe you'll be able to bring out the softer side of him. He's always so kind, of course, but he's not very good with romance. Maybe you can teach him a thing or two." He let go. "But anyway! Enough about my brother – on to you!" He held up a tray of eyeshadow, several shades of purples and blues. "Which color do you like best?"

"Um…" She pointed at a blue-purple color in the middle, sort of like a light indigo. "I like that one."

"Oh, yes, that will look charming on you." Seeming to mark this down in his mind, he held up the lipsticks. "Now, which one of these is your favorite?"

"Uhh…" She picked a light pink one. "That one's nice."

"Really? That pale, with your fair complexion? Well, alright, it's your face I'm putting it on. And if _you_ don't like it, I'm not doing my job right." He put that down and picked up the last tray. "Now, this is rouge. I picked light red for you, but which degree of light do you think would look good?"

"Hmm." She tapped beneath a medium shade. "I think this one would look nice."

"Ah, perfect. Now… can you go change?"

"Yeah." She hurried into the changing room and quickly threw her clothes off, and pulled the kimono on. She came out. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful! Now…" He got up and patted the pedestal. "Would you mind climbing up here for me, gorgeous?"

She felt blush creep into her cheeks. "You're far too sweet, Ayame-san." She go up on the stand with his help, wobbling a little. "Ooh! Long way down."

"Yes, it would be. I do so hope you choose not to fall. Make a pose for me, pretty girl!"

Becky put her hand on her hip, and winced as the material seemed to tighten… mostly around her upper half. She dropped the pose. "Ooh! This is a little…" She tried to pull the fabric away from her chest, as it was squeezing a bit. "A little tight, isn't it, Ayame-san?"

Ayame put his hands on his hips, looking like a true diva. "Becca, I run a _romance_ shop. It is made for men to buy their ladies when they want to see them in something sexy… even if they're just gonna take it off anyway. Women your size aren't just high-schoolers – it's _supposed_ to be tight, to accentuate your chest, hips, and backside. And…" He walked around the pedestal once, circling her like a vulture. "If I may say so without being inappropriate, it does its job. Rowr." He mimicked claws with his hands, grinning. "Yuki is only lucky boy to have such a pretty lady with her eye on him. If only I were that lucky, perhaps she would offer to help me at the store and I wouldn't always have to deal with Shigure…" He looked around. "_Shigure, where are you_? I need your help with Becca's make-up!"

"Damn it, I'm _coming_, you snake!"

"Hurry it up, dog, or I'll toss you into the pool again!" Ayame snapped. He turned his attention back to Becky and gave her a smile. "Okay, now… we've got to do something about your hair."

She gave him a look. "… What's wrong with my hair, Ayame-san?"

"Oh, nothing, _nothing_!" He waved his hands. "It's quite pretty, down and all. But that style just doesn't suit the kimono, I'm afraid. Let me fix it in an updo. A nice, traditional one, with hair sticks!" He riffled through a drawer for a few seconds, and pulled out a pair of black sticks with hot pink flower-and-swirl designs. **(1)** "Oh, these will do just fine!"

It seemed like not two seconds later, the sticks were in her hair, and she didn't feel any strands on her neck. "Oh, wow… you're fast, Ayame-san."

"Oh-ho, thank you. Now, what do you think of the kimono?" He gave her those big sparkly eyes, clutching his hands together at his chest in a gesture that just screamed that he was groveling for compliments. "Do you like my design?"

Becky looked down at the dress. It was a black background with swirls and leaves of silver. There was a small triangle that exposed some of her cleavage. "Oh… it's very beautiful, Ayame-san." She ran a hand over her abdomen. "But it's a little tight around my stomach… it should be tight around the chest, but not around the stomach, right? I mean, if the girl wants to look sexy. Because with all this tightness, I don't feel very sexy…"

"Hmm…" Ayame got very close, studying. "Well, I suppose you're right. I could let it out a little bit. But it still has to be tight enough to express the hips. I'll work on that, then. Do you think it's too long, or not long enough?"

"Well…" Becky bit her lip. She didn't really want to voice her opinions here, because this was Yuki's _family_, and especially Ayame was his brother. What if she offended them? Yuki would never speak to her again. "Shouldn't it end more..." She put her hand sideways just above her knee. "Like here? If it's meant to be a sexier sort of kimono, it should end like a flirty dress, shouldn't it?" She blushed. "I-I mean, unless you don't think so…"

"Oh, no, no, dear. I see what you're saying." He whipped out a tape measure (which prompted her to wonder where the hell he'd been keeping it, because his outfit had no pockets that she could see) and measured from where she had her hand down. "And this is six inches too long for sexy!" He snapped the tape measure back. "I'll fix it once you get it off. Just let mark that…" He took out a black marker (again, _where_ was he materializing these things from?) and made a small dot where one of the silver streaks was. "There we are. _SHIGURE_!" he yelled. "I need your help _now_! I'm ready to do her make-up!"

"And another thing," Becky commented, stepping down from the pedestal with Ayame's help, as Shigure walked into the room. "If I was just modeling your kimono, why are you putting make-up on me, Ayame-san?"

"Eh-heh, well… I may have… overdone it with the make-up, but I just figured… if you're ever going to get a man – or snag my brother – you need to know what looks good on you! I mean, you're not wearing any make-up. Of course, your natural look is pretty enough by itself, I'm just saying… a good shadow would bring out your eyes, a good lipstick would make your lips shine and look fuller, a blush would lift your cheekbones and make you look younger…"

"I'm sixteen."

"And of course, you'll have to come back so we can work on jewelry…"

"What's wrong with my necklace and earrings today?"

"Nothing, nothing! You just need to know what kind of jewelry goes with what outfit…"

"In other words, you tricked me into a make-over."

"Now, now, Becca, let's not think of it as 'tricked'…" He looked nervous. "Okay, Shigure, get over here with my shadow sponge, my lip painter, and my blush brush!"

_Yep, I'm in trouble._

Within ten minutes, Ayame and Shigure had applied all kinds of what felt like gunk to her face. Eyeshadow, lipstick, and blush, apparently, as they'd told her – all the colors she'd chosen herself, Ayame assured her. Now he was crouched back behind her chair, holding onto the back of it. He was waiting to show her the mirror so she could "admire" their work. "Okay, now, my lovely little belle of the ball…" He chuckled. "Are you ready to see yourself after your make-over?"

"…" Becky took a breath. "I… guess so. Turn me around."

"Alright." Ayame slowly spun the chair around to face the mirror.

**Woo! Chapter 10, I'm so excited! I always make the tenth chapter a milestone in all my stories. It kind of gives you hope that you're actually going to finish. (Psst, I'm almost finished writing chapter 19 and once I get to 20, that'll be a big milestone too! Eee, I'm so happy! 3)**

**Thanks to everybody who reads and reviews! (Special shout out to Lady Miraculous, who has reviewed the most chapters so far!)**

**Till next time!**

**~Ai-chan ^^**

_**Preview of Chapter 11…**_

_**xxx**_

"_I see. Never got remarried?"_

"_Nope. Just me and her now."_

"_Huh. Surprising, what with her looks and her personality…" Hatori shook his head, sighing. "But, anyway…" He opened a drawer and took out an envelope. He faced her, and held out the envelope. "I want you to give this to your mother."_


	11. Chapter 11

_With these hands, I will learn of the truth between my family and yours._

Becky blinked, and the face in the mirror did the same thing. Her verdant eyes were framed by light indigo eyeshadow. Her normally thin, non-colored lips were a pale rose pink now, and they looked plumped up a little bit. Her cheeks did look a little higher up, and it was attractive, with a red rouge, not so dark that it drew attention away from everything else, but not so light that it couldn't be seen. Her hair was done up elaborately with the hair sticks, and she honestly didn't think she was looking at herself. "Wow!" Her eyes widened a she just stared at herself. "I mean – wow!"

"Oooh!" Ayame yanked her up and took her hands, grinning at her. "Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding? I look amazing!" She glanced back at the mirror, then looked at Ayame. "I can't even tell it's me!"

"Oh! Ha-ha, I knew you'd love it!"

"Oh, thank you!" She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek, squeezing his hand tightly. "This is great! I look awesome!" She glanced down at the trays of cosmetics. "Hey, is there any way I can… you know, buy the colors you used on me?"

"Oh, I'll give you no charge, my dear, since you're a friend of my brother's." He looked past her. "Shigure! Go get one of the blue-and-purple eyeshadow kits, a tube of the coral pink lipstick, one of the slightly darker one, and a medium-red compact! I think we've got a regular visitor here!" He patted her on the head. "When you come over next time, maybe I can interest you in some of our jewelry! First time, I'll give it away free, but when you come into my shop as a customer, I expect you to pay me, gorgeous!"

Becky grinned at him, and gave him a high five. "You're a genius, Ayame-san, a _genius_. Now, uh…" She raised an eyebrow. "Where's the changing room, again?"

"Oh, right here." Putting both hands on the small of her back, he gave her a gentle push toward a room. "There we go. You can go change, love. And you know what? To thank you for your help with the kimono, I'll give you one when I fix it and get more of them made. Would you like that?"

"That would be one of the sweetest things anyone's ever done for me, Ayame-san." She walked inside the room and smiled. "Thank you."

"Oh, no problem. Shigure and I will fix your products, and you can… help Hatori-kun, was it? And you can pick them up before you leave. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah, thanks. You know, everyone seems to think you're annoying, but I think you're okay." She closed the door. "I'll be out in a few minutes!"

"You're an angel, my dear! Shigure, where's that make-up I told you to get?"

Becky chuckled as she slid out of the dress. "Those two," she whispered. "They fight like an old married couple." She put her black sweater and jeans back on, opting to just carry her uniform. She didn't have a problem with it, but she preferred not to wear it if she could avoid it – she liked her own clothes better. She came out, gave the kimono to Ayame, and smiled as she said good-bye to him and Shigure, then left.

She had to go back, because she didn't know where Hatori's room was. "Um… do you now where Hatori-san is, Ayame-san?"

"End of the hall, on the right. Not the last door on the back wall, that's Akito's room." Ayame had a piece of ribbon in his mouth, cutting the other end. "And believe me, you do _not_ want to go in there unless you have an escort. _I_ don't even like going in there, and he's _my_ father. By the way, you don't have to call us 'san' if you don't want to, lovely. We're all friends here."

"Okay. Thank you, bye."

"Bye-bye!"

She finally found the room, and opened the door. "Heeeeey," she greeted, walking inside. "Sorry I'm late. Ayame was playing Barbie with me."

Yuki was sitting at a desk, swiping through papers with a pen. The other man, obviously Hatori, was on a computer. He looked over and chuckled. "As I can see with my good eye," he smiled, holding up a hand. "Nice to see you, especially after a make-over from Ayame."

Yuki looked up, and Becky could swear she saw his cheeks turn a light pink. "I, um… you… wow. He really went all-out with it, didn't he?"

Becky felt her cheeks light up red under the rouge. "I…" She reached up and touched her face. "… I'm still wearing all of the crap he put on me, aren't I?"

Yuki shrugged, looking back down at his papers. "I think you look nice."

"Well, then." She put her purse and backpack on a table. "It's a good thing I asked for the colors he put on me, isn't it? And thank you, Yuki-kun." She turned to Hatori. "Uh, so… Hatori-san." She held out her hand. "Rebecca Bridges."

"Rebecca Bridges. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Hatori Sohma." He shook her hand, smiling. "You know, you look familiar…"

"Oh, yeah. I was supposed to tell you that my mom, Nancy Bridges, she says hi."

"Nancy-? _You're_ Nancy's daughter? Oh! I guess that's why you look familiar. Just as beautiful as I remember she was, just the hair a touch lighter. Tell me, is she still happily married?"

"Well… she had me before she got married to my dad. But yeah, they got married… and then they divorced. They have been for about… twelve years now."

"I see. Never got remarried?"

"Nope. Just me and her now."

"Huh. Surprising, what with her looks and her personality…" Hatori shook his head, sighing. "But, anyway…" He opened a drawer and took out an envelope. He faced her, and held out the envelope. "I want you to give this to your mother."

Becky took it and furrowed her brow. "What is it?"

"A letter I wrote to her right before we graduated college. I was going to give it to her after graduation… but I never got the chance. That, and I was so scared because it seemed way too personal…" He swept some bangs out of his face. "But now that she's a grown woman, she's had a kid and tried a marriage… and I'm an adult now, as well… the stuff in there doesn't really seem as bad as I thought it was. " He nodded toward Yuki. "There's a stack of papers over there for you. All you have to do is go through and check for any spelling or grammar errors. Sometimes I make them, and it helps to have young eyes."

"And… you also said you could only see me with your right eye. Is something wrong with your left?"

"Oh, I had an accident and I'm almost blind in that eye now. It's alright, though, I can still see well enough to be a doctor. Alright, now." He put on a mock-strict face, but she could still see his smile trying to get through. "Get to work, young lady!"

"Yes, sir!" Becky sat down, and picked up her sheaf of papers. However, she was painfully curious about the letter Hatori had written to her mother. So she carefully opened it (thank God it wasn't licked and sealed) and read it, making sure that nobody saw that she had it out.

_Nancy Bridges,_

_Hi. I just wanted to tell you… I had a really good time at prom with you, and when I took you to the movies. I have a feeling that you would be an amazing kisser and an amazing person to hug, but… I guess I'll never find out._

_Why is it always so hard to talk to you? I never know what to say. You're just so beautiful and sweet, and I don't know if I'll ever find anyone else like you. I'm attracted to you very deeply._

_That being said, we can't be together. We're on our way out of school – we're going our separate ways. You're doing what you love, and I'm doing what I love. I just can't believe we're never going to see each other again…_

_And before we part, I have to tell you something. It goes against my family's law, but I don't care. I must tell you about the Sohma family curse._

_First off, it's real. Second, thirteen members are able to transform into their Zodiac animal. This happens only twice – only two things trigger it. One, if we are hugged by the opposite sex. Two, if our bodies are under a great deal of stress. I transform into a seahorse – a baby dragon, as it were. Ironic, no?_

_And I can erase people's memories. I will never erase yours, and I promise you this._

_I will always admire you, Nan, and I'll never forget you. Thank you for always being there when I needed you._

… _I'll miss you so much._

_Love,_

_Hatori Sohma_

And after his name, he had drawn a little heart, with an arrow going through it, and the names Nancy and Hatori inside it_._

A crack ran down the middle of that heart._  
_

_**Preview of Chapter 12…**_

_**xxx**_

"_What's up? Oh." She laughed. "You been experimenting with make-up? What on Earth **happened **at the Sohmas?"_

"_Ayame did this to me. I modeled a dress for him, and then he gave me a make-over. But never mind! Right now I—"_

"_Did Yuki like it?"_

"_Ma!" She shoved the envelope at her mother. "This is for you! It's from Hatori-san! You need to read it now!" She tossed her bookbag and purse down. "And I need to go look at my diary!"_


	12. Chapter 12

_With these hands, I will wipe away the tears caused by your betrayal._

Becky didn't walk home, or even have Yuki walk her home. She gave him a quick squeeze on the arm, saying she'd see him in school tomorrow. Then she ran home like hell was hot on her heels.

She pushed the door open. "Ma! Ma, where are you?"

"Right here." Nancy stood up, as she'd been putting something in the oven. She wiped her forehead with her arm. "What's up? Oh." She laughed. "You been experimenting with make-up? What on Earth _happened_ at the Sohmas?"

"Ayame did this to me. I modeled a dress for him, and then he gave me a make-over. But never mind! Right now I—"

"Did Yuki like it?"

"Ma!" She shoved the envelope at her mother. "This is for you! It's from Hatori-san! You need to read it _now_!" She tossed her bookbag and purse down. "And I need to go look at my diary!"

Becky ran up the stairs and yanked her desk drawer open. She grabbed her journal out of it and opened it. She flipped to the last page with writing and began to read her own handwriting.

_The Sohma curse isn't just a legend. It's real. Whatever animal of the Chinese Zodiac they represent, they transform when they are hugged, or if they're really stressed. I know because Ma hugged Momiji and Yuki and they transformed. Momiji is a bunny and Yuki is a rat. Ma told me earlier that Hatori's a dragon. After Yuki and Momiji get changed, they're taking us to Hatori to get our minds erased of the curse – he can do that, apparently._

_It may sound crazy but it's totally true. It's all true. I saw it with my own eyes or else I wouldn't believe it either. I'm hoping that I find this after my mind's been erased so that I'll still know about the curse._

_-Becks_

Becky just stared at the page, trying not to hyperventilate. She read this over and over again, half wanting to believe and half wanting to call herself crazy. This page was dated yesterday… but that couldn't be right. Yesterday, Yuki and Momiji hadn't come over to her house. She hadn't even seen Momiji yesterday! She had gone straight home, had dinner with her mother, did her latest geometry homework, and read the first chapter of _San Nozomi_.

But then she realized something. She had written down – supposedly – that Hatori could erase memories. And that letter she had read for her mother from Hatori had said the same thing – he could wipe people's memories, even if only from information about the Sohma curse.

This was just… just terrible. Becky held her head, and she felt tears running down her cheeks and more forming in her eyes. That meant Yuki was lying to her – lying through his teeth! So was Tohru, and Kyo, and Hatsuharu, and everybody else! Hatori had seen her _and_ her mother! They were all just _acting_ like yesterday had been normal! She would have expected this from Kyo, who was a punk, and Hatsuharu, who _looked_ like a punk, but not from Tohru or Yuki. Tohru was such a sweet girl, and Yuki was a perfect gentleman. Why would they do this? And _how_ could they? She didn't see how they could do something like this and live with themselves. This wasn't a tiny lie, like if you said you were eighteen the day before your eighteenth birthday. This was a huge lie, and a huge deal!

She liked Yuki, and she honestly couldn't believe how mad she was at him right now.

Becky flew down the stairs. "Ma!"

She found Nancy sitting at the counter in the kitchen, Hatori's message in her shaking hand. She had her other hand over her mouth, and she was crying.

"Ma, Ma…" Becky walked over and wrapped her arms around her mother, crying with her. There were few times her mother cried. That just let her know how serious and upsetting this was.

"I can't believe this. All this time, it was real. How come h-he never… transformed? If it was real…" Nancy ran a hand across her eyes. "I just don't believe it. And why would he keep something like this from me?" She tossed the letter down on the counter, letting go of her daughter. "Did he think it would change anything between us? It wouldn't have mattered to me! All these years… he lied to me, all these years…"

"One of his lies is just a little more recent, Ma." Becky held out her diary. "He wiped our minds. I don't even believe Yuki! We saw him and Momiji transform, and the little sneak just went and wiped our minds _via Hatori_! How can I even find him attractive? I just – ugh, I am so _mad_ at him right now!" She slammed her diary down on the table, clenching her fists. "Who does he think he is, manipulating our minds like that? And then pretending, _to my face_, that he doesn't know a thing about it! Him and Tohru and Kyo and Haru and Hatori!" More tears rolled off her face. "Him and all the Sohmas-! Tomorrow I'm gonna hit him so hard, his head'll spin around! And then I'm gonna go to his house, and I'm gonna yell at his family!"

"Rebecca…" Nancy held her daughter close to her. "You know… I still love Hatori, ne? Even after all that. I'm disappointed in him, of course, but… I see why it had to be done. Please, Rebecca, try to see this from the Sohmas' point of view. I'm trying. They couldn't… risk the curse becoming public. Suppose one of us let something about it slip? Could you imagine what might happen to them? Can you imagine what would happen to the Sohmas if people found out about the curse? That it was real." She hugged Becky. "They would be in danger, the targets of ridicule, Lord knows what else. It would be the same as if someone found out about our curse." She let go. "Violence isn't the answer…"

Becky hung her head. "Yeah… I know…"

"_But_," her mother finished. "you give that boy a good, down-home Florida bitch slap."

_**Preview of Chapter 13…**_

_**xxx**_

_Yuki just stood there for a moment. Slowly, his hand wandered up to his cheek, and then he looked at her. "… That stung a little, you know."_

"_Hey!"_

_Becky looked over and there was a group of very angry-/scary-looking girls dressed in Kaibara uniforms. Her eyes widened as she realized that they must have been Yuki's fan club. __**Damn it… I JUST CAN'T WIN!**_

_Before she knew it, she was running with a group of girls hot on her heels._


	13. Chapter 13

_With these hands, I will bestow upon you the blessing and curse of tough love._

Becky woke up the next morning with vengeance still burning a hole in her heart and mind. As she dressed for school, she was willing and prepared to thoroughly beat Yuki senseless. As soon as she stepped out of that classroom, first period, as soon as they were heading to second, she would give him a whack to the face so hard his head would look like a sideways pinwheel.

That was pretty much the only thing on her mind as she put her hair in two ponytails, applied mascara, and brushed her teeth. She was just thinking about how much pain Yuki would be in and how sorry he would be for lying to her. She'd give Tohru a talking-to, as well, and a venomous glare would go to the other two Sohma boys. As for Hatori… she'd have to yell at him when she went to the Sohmas' tonight. She'd make sure not to hit anywhere near his blind eye, but anything other than that he deserved. They _all_ deserved it for lying to her.

When she came downstairs, she found Nancy sucking down coffee and looking through that college photo album. It was all pictures of her and Hatori, nobody else. Becky felt sad as she thought that Hatori was the most important person in the world to Nancy. As a mother, the most important person was Becky, but… as a person, as a woman… Hatori won that. She decided not to press the matter today, and offered a simple, "Bye, Ma" as she left.

It seemed like forever before she finally got to school and to first period. She took her assigned seat behind Yuki, and sucked in a breath. She took out her red pen, ripped out a piece of paper, and wrote. All that was on that big piece of paper was one sentence, written in red ink.

_I KNOW WHAT YOU DID._

She tossed it over Yuki's shoulder, unfolded, and waited. He seemed shocked. The response she received from him just served to make her angrier with him.

_Rebecca-_

_What do you mean?_

_- Yuki_

She wrote him another note, a bit longer this time.

_You know what you and Hatori-san did. Don't play stupid – you're dead meat when I get my hands on you, Yuki._

Not surprisingly, she didn't get a reply that time. She didn't care, though. He was smart; he'd probably figured it out and was just scared of her now. She scooted down in her seat, crossing her arms stubbornly.

The last thing she wanted at this moment was for Koharumoto-san to call on her, but of course that happened, too. "Miss Bridges!"

She glanced up sourly. "Yes?"

"I asked a question, and your hand wasn't up. I was wondering if you knew the answer."

"Mind repeating the question?"

"Very well. Where did the final battle of World War II take place?"

"The Meusse-Argonne Forest in France."

"… Alright."

That seemed to sweep her off the teacher radar for then.

She thought the bell would never ring for second period. But eventually, it did, and she cackled inwardly. Yuki was _so_ gonna get it now. She was the first one out, and waited by the door for Yuki, who always took his sweet time and wasn't in any rush. Since she carried her books in a drawstring bag on her back, she had both hands free for Yuki-whooping.

When Yuki came out, he saw her and his eyes widened. He seemed to know he was in trouble, and tried to run off, but she wasn't going to let him get away. She grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar and dragged him back. "Come here, Yuki Sohma!"

He faced her with a fairly frightened look in his eyes. "… So… isn't this a lovely day, Rebecca? The sun is out. It's been cloudy the past few days…"

"Cut the crap." She glared at him. "I know what you and Hatori-san did to me and my mom! Not to mention the fact that you made Tohru-chan and your cousins go along with it! Did you actually think you were gonna get away with erasing our minds and pretending we never saw you _as a friggin' rat_?"

"How did you remember? Hatori-san erased your memory."

"Apparently, I wrote it down in my diary so I'd see it later! And Hatori-san's letter to my mom – in that letter, he told her the curse was real! You were _lying __**like A **__**RUG**_!" She reeled back, ready to hit him. "_You big, nauseating, useless_—" She slapped him across the face, the sound of flesh-on-flesh resounding throughout the hall. "_Bastard_!"

Yuki just stood there for a moment. Slowly, his hand wandered up to his cheek, and then he looked at her. "… That stung a little, you know."

"Hey!"

Becky looked over and there was a group of very angry-/scary-looking girls dressed in Kaibara uniforms. Her eyes widened as she realized that they must have been Yuki's fan club. _Damn it… I JUST CAN'T WIN!_

Before she knew it, she was running with a group of girls hot on her heels. "How dare you _touch_ Prince Yuki!" one of them shouted at her.

"Much less _hit_ him!" another shrieked.

Yuki was following them, and he seemed to take a certain pleasure in this.

The psychotic fangirls finally caught up with Becky, and she was getting hit herself. Well, mostly the girls were just pulling her hair, but one of them had fake, pointy nails, so she made a few good gashes down Becky's leg. "Yuki!" she yelled, trying to push them away. "Help me!"

Yuki nodded. "I'll go notify the school nurse… be back to take you there in about ten, fifteen minutes tops." And he walked off.

"_DAMN IT, YUKI_!" she screeched. "_THAT IS __SOOOO__ NOT WHAT I MEANT_!"

After ten minutes, the fangirls had finally left her to live or die. They had returned to their classes, and Becky had curled up in a ball on the floor. The cuts on her leg were burning, and there was a bruise on her temple. She had a headache, and she was almost sorry she'd ever decided to smack Yuki.

Almost. He still deserved it for lying to her.

Finally, he came back. He knelt down to her and touched her forehead where the bruise was. "Wow… that's a nasty one. They're usually not so violent. Do you think you can walk?"

She shook her head. "It hurts… too bad. If I walked… I'd limp… and I'd slow you down… and I don't feel so good… I hurt everywhere… ow… you can just bring the nurse here…"

"Okay." He placed an arm under her back, the other under her knees, and picked her up. He began to walk down the hall, presumably toward the nurse's office.

Becky was confused; after all, she had _hit_ him and he was _still_ being nice to her – anybody else would have got her up and made her walk. "You're…carrying me? Even after… I bitch-slapped you?"

He chuckled. "… I deserved it. Now just make sure you give Hatori-san a handprint to match mine."

xxx

"There you go, dear," the elderly Nurse Kyami said as she finished plastering Band-Aids to Becky's leg. Becky was holding a pack of ice on her forehead, and Yuki stood by at a safe distance, probably out of fear that she would smack him again.

"Thank you," Becky told her, wanting so badly to lie down.

The phone rang, and Nurse Kyami answered it. "Okay. Alright, I'll be right there." She hung up and grabbed something from the cabinet. "I'll be back – someone had a reaction to a bee sting. I keep telling them they shouldn't have P.E. outside…" She headed for the door. "Stay until you feel better, Miss Bridges, and you keep an eye on her, Mr. Sohma. If you leave before I get back, take one of those yellow passes with you." And she was out the door.

Becky dropped her politeness and glared at Yuki. "Why didn't you _help me_?"

"Regardless of the fact that I forgive you for slapping me, you still _did_ slap me. I thought I'd let karma run its natural course." He carefully pulled the ice away from the bruise on her temple. "Hey, it looks like the swelling's gone down."

Becky took a breath, and exhaled sharply. "I've gotta come over to your house today, Yuki. There are some things I need to discuss with you, mostly concerning our friendship and whether or not it is a good idea, and it's way too personal to discuss here. My mom already said I could. You let me, or so help me, I _will_ smack you again. And this time when I smack you, your head is gonna come halfway _off_. And I don't care what no damn fangirls do to me for it."

Yuki sighed. "… I guess that's fair. I do have to warn you, however, that there may be more people over today. But be can go to another room and talk – we don't have to talk in front of everybody." He stood up, and took a yellow slip. "I'm going back to class. You should, too."

She watched him leave, and she shook her head.

The way things were going, and the way this family trusted no one, she might have to ask her mother to tell Akito about their own secret.

That way, they'd know she and Nancy would keep _their_ secret.

Because they knew what it was like.

_**Preview of Chapter 14…**_

_**xxx**_

"_Wait, wait!" She grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry, I wasn't yelling at __**you**__! The hell – Dude-What-Looks-Like-a-Lady, I don't even __**know**__ you, why the frick would I be yelling at you?"_

"_It's my fault, it's my fault! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" He began to run like crazy around the room, in tears, babbling with insane, profuse apologies – probably for stuff he didn't even do._

_Becky's eye twitched. "__**What the hell is going on around here**__?"_

**(Little tiny author's note: I appreciate all the people who favorite the story and put it on their alert. But I also like reviews! And if I get more reviews, I'm more likely to update. I'm asking that if you're planning on favoriting or adding it to your alerts, please review! Even it's just, like, five words, not even a sentence. I like reviews more than favorites. Thank you and keep reading! I love you all! ^^)**_  
_


	14. Chapter 14

_With these hands, I will try to repair the cracks in our relationship._

The walk to the Sohma house was indefinitely more silent and whole hell of a lot more awkward this time. Obviously trying to atone for himself, Yuki was holding Becky by the wrist – probably the closest he could bring to holding her hand, though they had been holding pinkies the other day. But she decided that since she was rather ticked off at Yuki right now, he was smart to not try and hold her hand and hold her wrist instead. And even then, he wasn't doing it to be sweet – he was only holding it to keep her from running off by herself.

It was made even more awkward by the fact that Tohru and Kyo were walking with them. Becky and Yuki didn't talk, so Tohru and Kyo probably didn't want to, either. They were most likely intimidated by the fact that Beck and Yuki talked so easily to one another, and that they weren't now. They presumably guessed what was the matter, and didn't want to say anything about it to make either of the two any more upset.

"Becky-chan," Tohru spoke up. "I'm sorry we lied to you – pretended like… you know. But it was the safest way – the Sohmas have to be very picky about who they trust. I feel so guilty…"

"It isn't your fault, Tohru-chan." Becky shot another glare at Yuki.

"I already know you're mad at me," Yuki told her, staring straight ahead. "Must you really glare at me every five seconds? It isn't going to change anything, obviously. After all, it's not as if you can _smack_ me with your eyes."

"No, but I sure as hell smack you with my _hand_, which is _right_ here, in case you're failing anatomy."

"Oh, look, our house is coming up."

"How convenient." Becky ran ahead of everybody else and stormed into the house. The anger was burning inside her again, as she remembered all the Sohmas involved with this plot. Hatori, who had pretended not to remember her mother after he'd seen her the other night. Ayame and Shigure, who had probably seen or heard of her that night when she and Nancy had come to get their minds erased. And possibly Akito, who had just _let_ the mind-wiping take place. "_YOU DAMN JACKASS SOHMAS_!"

All of a sudden, she noticed another Sohma there. It was a man who looked somewhat like a girl, with long, light brown hair. He was dressed in a white shirt and black pants, and he was staring at her with wide eyes, looking like he was about to burst into tears. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" He suddenly just latched onto her legs, sobbing. "I'm sorry, whatever I did! Don't punish anybody else, it was all my fault! I didn't mean it, and I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, but I deserve to be punished anyway! I'm the evil one! _PUNISH MEEEEEEE_!"

"Wait, wait!" She grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry, I wasn't yelling at _you_! The hell – Dude-What-Looks-Like-a-Lady, I don't even _know_ you, why the frick would I be yelling at you?"

"It's my fault, it's my fault! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" He began to run like crazy around the room, in tears, babbling with insane, profuse apologies – probably for stuff he didn't even do.

Becky's eye twitched. "_What the hell is going on around here_?"

Shigure came out of one of the rooms, and sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, why do I always have to be the one to calm him down?" He stopped in the middle of the room. "Oh, Ritsu! Can you come here and help me with something?"

The auburn-haired man stopped running and hurried over to Shigure. "What is it, Shigure? _What can I help you with_?" he practically screamed in Shigure's face.

"This." Shigure did nothing but poke the brunette, Ritsu, in the side of the stomach, and the man fell to the floor, letting out a sigh. Shigure turned to Becky and smiled, holding up his hand and wiggling his fingers. "The Magic Touch never fails, my dear!"

Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru came into the house. Becky stomped over and poked Yuki in the chest. "_What the hell is wrong with your screwed-up, crazy-ass family_?"

Yuki put his hands up in surrender as he backed up against the wall. "Okay, okay, Rebecca…"

"I'm still sorry!"

Becky went over and took her bare foot to Ritsu's side. "Shut _up_, Ritsu!"

"S-Sorry!"

"Knock it off, that's annoying!" Becky decided to leave well enough alone and just block Ritsu out. She turned back to Yuki and grabbed him by the wrist. "Your room, now."

"You know, actually," he answered, "I don't live _here_, here. I live at Shigure Sensei's house, so my room is… over… there…" He noticed her glaring at him again. "But we can go into the bathroom or… or, you know… somewhere…"

She glared at him for the millionth time. "Take me to Hatori-san's room so we can talk with him, too."

"Fine." Yuki took her by the arm and walked down the hall with her. "Bye, Ritsu-san! Bye, Shigure Sensei!"

Not two minutes later, he was leading her into Hatori's room. "Hatori-san! She knows about the curse! Tell me how this _happened_ when you _erased her mind_!"

Hatori turned around, and his face paled. "… Oh, dear God."

Yuki raised an eyebrow. "Why are _you_ afraid of her?"

"She's got that same look on her face that her mother used to give me when she was pissed at me. And Nancy Bridges has a _hell_ of an arm. If Rebecca is anything like her mother…" Hatori got up. "I'm outta here!"

"SIT," Becky commanded. **(1)** "We _all_ need to talk."

Hatori decided to be smart and sit back down. "Okay, well… yes, I erased your mind and Nancy's mind. But you have to understand, Rebecca—"

"I don't care about _you_ right now!" Becky faced Yuki. "Yuki, I just… I can't believe you would do this to me. I would have expected it from Kyo, and maybe even Haru, but _you_? Why? Why would you do something like this? You seemed so nice! I thought I finally had a friend! I thought you knew how it felt, to – to always be _lied_ to and made fun of! And now you – I just—" She collapsed in a chair, allowing herself to break down and cry. "I just don't know what to think, Yuki! I thought you would treat me better than that!"

She felt Yuki's hands warm her own. "I'm sorry, Rebecca… I'm so sorry. And yes, you're right. About everything. I shouldn't have taken you here to have your memories erased. It wasn't fair to you, and it wasn't fair to your mother, either. But can you please try to… do you understand why I had to do it? We barely know you, but everyone likes you… however, we can't trust you yet."

"You trusted Tohru! How long did you know her before she found out? You didn't erase _her_ memories!"

"No, we didn't. But Rebecca, listen to me, even if it's just for the moment." He tilted her chin up so that her eyes met his. "Stop trying to change the subject. This is not about Honda-san. This is about _you_."

She ran the back of her hand over her eyes. "I-I know… but…" She sniffled. "You guys may not think it's such a big deal, Yuki, Hatori-san. But it is a really big deal to me, _and_ my mom! Hell, she's probably at home freaking out right now! This wasn't a little white lie, like – like saying you're six feet when you're really five-foot-eleven-and-a-half! You kept most of your _life_ from me, and then I found out, you erased my mind and pretended like it never happened! I mean, who _does_ that?" She looked away. "I thought when you said… I could trust you with my secrets… I thought that meant you could trust me with yours, too. Maybe I was just wrong and stupid for wanting to be your friend." She got up.

"No." Yuki grabbed her by the wrist and looked down, his shoulders shooting up to his ears. "Don't you dare leave, Rebecca. I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry for that. But if you leave, we won't work this out. I never said I wanted you out of my life."

"Yes, we _will_ work this out, Yuki." She yanked her arm away from him, and opened the door to leave. "Unlike you, I am an open book. You see… I have a curse, too. I'll bring my mom to tell Akito-sama about it. We'll see what he says."

With that, she left, said a curt good-bye to Shigure and Ritsu, and marched home, making sure she slammed the Sohmas' door shut.

**(1) Wow, she sounds like Kagome from **_**Inuyasha**_**! Heehee, that wasn't what I was thinking at all when I wrote that, but now going back over it…**

**Next time on "With These Hands"… Nancy reveals the deepest secrets of the Bridges family to Akito Sohma! Da-da-**_**daaaaa**_**! *cue dramatic music***

_**Preview of Chapter 15…**_

_**xxx**_

_She had no idea what he would say to her, but this would probably be the longest night she'd ever had, even if it was only an hour that she and her daughter were here._

_ His response was less than polite. "Take your shoes off before you come over here. I don't need dirt and germs on my floor. Who knows what microorganisms you could be harboring?"_

_ Nancy did as she was told, slipping her heels off near the door. She walked over to the bedside in bare feet, toenails painted dark red. "Akito Sohma…" She kneeled on the floor, keeping her head down. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't have any desire to look this man in the eyes._


	15. Chapter 15

_With these hands, I will inform your family about my deepest secret._

Nancy opened the door and walked into the room, her high heels clacking on the tile floor. She closed the door behind her, locking it from the inside before turning to face the sickly man on the bed. Black bangs almost completely hid his eyes from her, and he lie back on the pillow. He looked so frail, so weak and ill. She understood that Hatori had to live in this house just so he could keep an eye on this man.

It was almost hard to believe that he was the head of the Sohma family.

"Good evening, Akito-sama." She bowed her head in respect, closing her green eyes. She had no idea what he would say to her, but this would probably be the longest night she'd ever had, even if it was only an hour that she and her daughter were here.

His response was less than polite. "Take your shoes off before you come over here. I don't need dirt and germs on my floor. Who knows what microorganisms you could be harboring?"

Nancy did as she was told, slipping her heels off near the door. She walked over to the bedside in bare feet, toenails painted dark red. "Akito Sohma…" She kneeled on the floor, keeping her head down. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't have any desire to look this man in the eyes. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"I can tell that you wish this was under better circumstances." He coughed once, then raised his arm and pointed at a stool. "Please, take a seat. What is your name?"

She dragged the chair to the side of his bed, and sat herself. It wasn't exactly comfortable – but then again, nothing about this room seemed comfortable. "Nancy Brooke Bridges. I am honored that you allow myself and my daughter in your home."

"Your daughter…" Akito chuckled in an almost dark manner. "She's a feisty one, isn't she? I heard her curse our family's name, in a tone that would have woken the dead, had there been any in the vicinity."

"Forgive her, Akito-sama. Her feelings are unstable right now, as she has suffered a great loss."

"And that would be?"

Nancy clenched her fists. He had no business prying into her family's private life, much less her teenage daughter's. But it wasn't as if she could tell him that; it was his home, after all. "Boyfriend."

"Hmm. Now, my dear son Yuki tells me that you had something to inform me of. I assume it has something to do with our family's curse. So, you may begin."

Nancy took a breath. "Well… the Bridges family has a curse, as well."

"Ah, so we are alike in at least one way. I see, then. Tell me about your curse, Mrs. Nancy."

"The curse only activates when we are kissed – by anyone, opposite sex or no. If it's not on the lips, only the other person's lips form a burn on the skin kissed. If we are kissed on the lips, every part of the person's body acts as a flame to us. Any part of our body they touch with any part of their body… to put it simply, we get burned wherever they touch us. The only other person besides family who knows about the curse is my ex-husband, Jason Lincoln. And I sincerely doubt he's told our son."

"Son. Hmm." Akito looked thoughtful. "Your son lives with your ex-husband? Should you not have gotten both children?"

"We decided to go the easy way and just split everything. I'm just glad we had an even number of children."

"And your son… what was his name?"

"Bret Bridges-Lincoln. And before you ask, the women of the Bridges family are asked to keep their maiden name when they marry."

"Your son – he has the curse, I trust?"

"No. Only female members of the family are affected by the curse."

"How interesting." She could suddenly see one of Akito's eyes, and it held a wicked gleam. "Now, Mrs. Nancy, suppose you tell me how you are affiliated with my nephew Hatori."

-xxx-

Becky hated this. Yuki had forced her to sit at the table with Shigure, Ritsu, and Ayame (who had come over). They had sat in silence for about half an hour while her mother was with Akito, and it was getting just a little awkward. "So," she commented, resting her head on the table, "you guys got anything to eat? I'm getting hungry. I haven't had anything since lunch almost five hours ago."

"I'm sorry, Re-chan!" Ritsu suddenly shouted. "I should have gotten some snacks from the kitchen or something! I'll go get some now!" He stood up and started toward the door.

_If I didn't know any better,_ Becky thought with a sigh, _I'd say he's just using that as an excuse to get away from us and the Silent Table of Doom._

"Don't. Go. Anywhere," Yuki commanded, glaring at the table. His arms were crossed, as they had been for the past thirty minutes. He was obviously upset and angry, and it was clear he wasn't going to be in a good mood for a while. "Just sit down, Ritsu. Mrs. Bridges will be out soon, and then you can swing back home on the vines."

"That's not very nice, you know," Becky remarked.

"You know what isn't very nice, Rebecca?" Yuki stood up. "Your tone! Your tone, and the fact that you didn't even tell me your family was cursed, and _you_! _You_ are not very nice!" He sat back down, rage replenished.

Tears pricked at her eyes, but she forgot about her own sadness when she heard Ritsu sobbing. She looked up and suddenly felt sorry for him. He was so sensitive, and here she and Yuki were having a fight in front of him. "Ritsu-san… what's the matter?"

He buried his face in his hands. "I feel so guilty! If I hadn't have gotten up to go get you something to eat, then you and Yuki-kun wouldn't have started fighting! I'm so sorry!"

Becky folded her arms on the table, looking at him. "Ritsu-san, you shouldn't be upset. It's not your fault. Yuki and I are just mad at each other right now. We probably would have fought even if you hadn't done anything. It was only a matter of time. _And_, I'm sorry we fought in front of you. I didn't mean to make you feel bad at all."

He looked up, blinking at her with those tear-stained ocher eyes. "… Nobody…" He sniffed. "Nobody has ever… apologized… to _me_ before…"

"I'm apologizing because it was _my_ fault, not yours. You've gotta understand that not everything is your fault. Sometimes it isn'r anybody's fault… sometimes things just happen and there's nothing you can do."

Ritsu nodded. "I'm… sorry for getting upset, Re-chan…"

Becky sighed, but smiled. She was going to have a lot of work to do with this guy – but it _could_ be done.

"Tell us," Ayame said softly, "about _your_ curse. I'm too curious for my own good."

"Kicks in when we get kissed. When we get kissed on the lips, we get burned by any part of the other person's body." She leaned back in her chair. "It's suck like a bitch, wouldn't it?"

"I bet that's why your boyfriend dumped you, isn't it?" Yuki suddenly spoke up, shaking his hair out. "You told me about that. You let him kiss you, he found out, and he dropped you like a hot potato, so to speak?"

Becky glared at him, and pounded the table as she got up. Why was he being such a thoughtless jerk? She turned, and walked into the living room without another word.

Maybe she'd given this place – and Yuki – more credit than she should have.

***dodges flying fruit baskets* OMG please don't kill me! I know it's been way too long! I've been doing some Naruto-related things and don't yell at me for not updating... I'm soooooo sorry!**

**Yuki: Didn't you just give this speech for your latest update of "Trembling Hearts"?**

**Me: Why yes I did, Yuki. Wait - hey! You shouldn't even be in my author's comments because you just hurt Becky-chan's feelings! Get outta here till you're ready to be a good little rat-boy! *shove***

**Hehe... anyway... here's the preview thingy... click the purple button and review but please don't leave me flames or hate mail for not updating!**

**Till next time,**

**-Ai-chan ^^  
**

_**Preview of Chapter 16…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"_**You may know that, and that may be why her boyfriend broke up with her. But for God's sake, you never suggest to a woman that she is undesirable in any way!"**_

"_**He learned that the hard way last month," Ayame commented, pulling a random box of pocky from his pocket and beginning to munch. "This woman came into the store, and Gure started to flirt with her. She tried on this lingerie and asked him how it looked, and he said…" He looked over at Shigure expectantly.**_

_**Shigure looked down. "'You wanna go get a salad with me, sweetheart?'"**_

"_**That was a stupid thing to tell her," Yuki said.**_


	16. Chapter 16

_With these hands, I will apologize for the words that hurt you._

Shigure, Ayame, and Ritsu were just staring at Yuki. Yuki blinked. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that…"

Ritsu just about burst into tears again. "Why did you say that to her, Yuki-kun? Oh, this is all my fault! I should have just stopped you from saying anything! I should have ended the fight and went to get Re-chan her snack! I'm a failure as a person! I don't deserve to live!" He buried his face in his arms and started bawling his eyes out.

"And look what you've done now!" Shigure stood up, walked over to Ritsu, and poked the brunette in the side. Ritsu collapsed on the floor with a groan. "You know how he is, damn it! Why did you say that, Yuki? You may know that, and that may be why her boyfriend broke up with her. But for God's sake, you _never_ suggest to a woman that she is undesirable in _any_ way!"

"He learned that the hard way last month," Ayame commented, pulling a random box of pocky from his pocket **(1)** and beginning to munch. "This woman came into the store, and Gure started to flirt with her. She tried on this lingerie and asked him how it looked, and _he_ said…" He looked over at Shigure expectantly.

Shigure looked down. "'You wanna go get a salad with me, sweetheart?'"

"That was a stupid thing to tell her," Yuki said.

Shigure marched over to Yuki, raised his hand, and grabbed the younger boy by the ear. "You go into the living room, Yuki Sohma, and you apologize to that beautiful young lady!"

"Ow! And if I don't?"

"She will never speak to you again, and that's not a good thing! Get in there before I drop-kick you in. And believe me, _neither_ of us will enjoy _that_."

"Hmmph. Fine. But, uh… could you _let go of my ear first_?"

Shigure released Yuki's ear. "Now _go_, young'n."

Yuki walked into the living room. He found Becky crying on the couch, her head on the arm rest. Her hands were covering her face, and it looked like her entire body was shaking. Her blonde hair blocked what little of her face her hands left exposed.

Yuki took a breath, abd sat down next to her. "… Rebecca."

"G-Go away, Yuki! You're being an inconsiderate jackass, and I don't wanna talk to you!"

"You might not, but _I_ want to talk to _you_. So we're talking." Carefully, he pulled her into his lap, and held her hand. "I am so sorry for what I said back there. I was rude and insensitive. We may be mad at each other – but I completely crossed the line with that."

"Yeah." She ran an arm over her eyes, and looked down into her lap. "Yeah, you _did_, Yuki. And it really hurt me, okay? I'm still getting over Mike. You making remarks like that just…" She made a fist with one hand, holding it in front of her stomach. "I've already gotten stabbed, and what you said only served to make the knife twist that much more. Ever since I got to this city, I have constantly been trying to overcome this curse. I've struggled with trying to move on from Mike, and it's not easy. I was with him for six months. That may not seem so long, but… it was the longest relationship I've ever had." She exhaled. "… The _only_ relationship I've ever had. Without Mike, I… I just… I feel like I've lost who I am. And yes, I will admit something, okay? I find you, Yuki Whatever-the-Hell-Your-Middle-Name-Is Sohma, extremely attractive. Hell… you might be more attractive to me than Mike. But I didn't want to take a chance with you. I was… afraid…"

Yuki reached down, and cradled her chin in his hand, forcing her verdant eyes to meet his amethyst ones. "Rebecca… I know this may sound like a stupid question, but… did you think it would matter to me? Me, of all people? I have a curse, too, and I'm usually the one avoiding intimacy and friendship. Did you… think it would make any difference? Did you… think I wouldn't like you?"

She looked away guiltily. "I just… I… felt like… I thought you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore… if you found out." She shook her head, and laughed almost bitterly. "You know, something just occurred to me."

"Why are you laughing?"

"You know what I just realized? Yuki Sohma, we are _both_ big, fat liars. We lied to each other, and for what? Apparently we're both insecure about our curses, and we don't have any reason to be… at least not when we're with each other." She played with a loose thread on her jean shorts, closing her eyes halfway. "… We both lied. And there was no reason for it."

"That _is_ kind of funny." Yuki gently pressed her head to his chest. "I'm sorry about all of this."

"Oh." She shifted in his lap. "This is as much my fault as it is yours. I'm sorry, too." She looked down. "Forgive me?"

"Of course." He looked away. "Do… you forgive _me_?"

"Well, duh." She fiddled with the tie of his school uniform. "… Yuki, can I… give you a kiss on the cheek?"

He nodded. "Sure."

She reached up, and her lips made contact with his jawline. A tingling feeling formed, but didn't stay long. After that, she settled back onto his chest and sighed in a sort of contented way. "You know, Yuki… it's so easy to forget about Mike when I'm with you. I don't know what it is. We were together for half a year, and I've only known you for about a week, but…" She shook her head. "For some reason, I feel happier with you than I ever did with him. It's so weird."

Yuki ran his fingers through her hair, and cleared his throat. "I'm slightly attracted to you, as well…" He let go. "But for the moment, perhaps we should go back into the kitchen."

"Yeah." She got up off his lap and stretched a little. "I hear _someone_ crying, and I think it's Ritsu. It's only fair to let him know we didn't kill each other. If we don't go back in there, he's gonna be upset for the rest of the night. I don't want that."

Yuki chuckled, and stood up. "I think that would be very fair."

**(1) - OMG LOL pocket pocky! xD I'm so random... just like Ayame's pocket pocky! (Ignore my silly randomness... it's not at all relevant to the story that I decided to poke fun at Ayame. I do that all the time.)**

**Okay, I just want to thank all of you for your awesome reviews! You know what I received the last time I updated? Twelve reviews. ALL AT ONCE. I saw them in my e-mail inbox and I just about died. When I see something like that (well, when I see just one review, too, but still), it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I thank everyone who reads and reviews my story. Oh, and in a little while, I may just have a surprise for everyone who reads the entire thing… xD Well, anyway, here's what's going to happen next time on "With These Hands"! Enjoy the preview.**

_**Preview of Chapter 17…**_

_**-xxx-**_

_**Finally, Becky reached her rope's end with the silence. "The ticking of that clock is driving me fricking insane!" Her eye twitched and she took a few breaths. Then she smiled as she got an idea. "Soooo… who wants me to braid their beautiful, long locks and make them pretty?"**_

_**Shigure stood up quickly, rolling his magazine up. "Well, thankfully, my hair is far too short to be braided. However, I am just now realizing that I forgot to turn off the faucet in my bathroom, so… I'm gonna go home!" He ran out the door.**_

_**Yuki scoffed. "Can you believe him?" Then he noticed Becky eyeing him like she wanted to try her hand at his hair, and his eyes widened.**_


	17. Chapter 17

_With these hands, I will accept life with your family._

Waiting for Nancy to come out of that room with Akito could be described as pure boredom. Even after Becky went back into the kitchen with Yuki, nobody really talked. Shigure was reading a (mostly likely perverted and R-rated magazine), and Ayame was drawing up sketches for a dress or something. Ritsu had gotten several bowls of snacks, and was keeping the M&Ms bowl close to himself, picking out handfuls and arrange them by color before eating them. Becky stared at Yuki, and he stared right back. It was obvious he was fed up with all this waiting, too.

Finally, Becky reached her rope's end with the silence. "The ticking of that clock is driving me fricking insane!" Her eye twitched and she took a few breaths. Then she smiled as she got an idea. "Soooo… who wants me to braid their beautiful, long locks and make them pretty?"

Shigure stood up quickly, rolling his magazine up. "Well, thankfully, my hair is far too short to be braided. However, I am just now realizing that I forgot to turn off the faucet in my bathroom, so… I'm gonna go home!" He ran out the door.

Yuki scoffed. "Can you believe him?" Then he noticed Becky eyeing him like she wanted to try her hand at his hair, and his eyes widened. He hurried up from the table, starting toward the door. "Yeah, so me and my hair are going to go yell at him for you." He raced out the door so fast Becky was willing to bet she could have seen the friction from his shoes – well, had she been looking at his feet, at least.

Ayame looked at the other two occupants of the room, and sweatdropped. "Oh! B-Becca… I forgot, I have to go hem the sleeves of the kimono I made for you so they don't cover your hands!" He grabbed his drawing and pencils. "Have fun with that, sorry I couldn't join the crazy party!" With that, he zipped to the room she had been in the previous day.

Becky rolled her eyes and stood up. "Ah, well." She sat down in a chair closed to Ritsu. "Now that all the Sohma _pansies_ have beat a hasty retreat… guess it's just you and me now, Ritsu-san."

He gave her an eager smile, and pointed with both hands to his head. "You can braid my hair, Re-chan! I don't mind at all! In fact, I would appreciate it! Then I wouldn't have to do it myself!" Then he blushed. "Oh! N-Not that I mean I'm taking advantage of your kindness! I'm so sorry! That sounded so stupid! Oh, why am I such a moron?"

"Please don't cry!" Becky put her hands on his shoulders. "Calm down, Ritsu-san! It's alright! I don't think you're taking advantage of me! I don't think you're capable of doing something like that, You're so sweet."

He looked up at her, and a small smile formed on his lips. "Thank you… you really think so, Re-chan?"

She nodded. "Of course! In fact, I'm surprised you haven't been snatched up yet, you handsome devil, you."

"Maybe it's because of the fact that I willingly dress in women's clothing."

"Oh-ho, so what? If I didn't like dressing in tank tops and sweaters so much, I'd dress like a boy. In fact, I was mistaken for a boy once."

"Really? _You_? But it's so easy to see that you're not! I think it would be insulting to call a beautiful young lady such as yourself a boy."

"Eh." She shrugged, beginning to braid a portion of his light tan hair. "To be fair, I was standing pretty far away from my dad, and I _was_ only four. Once he realized it was me, he apologized."

"Your father…? Where is he?"

"Him and my mom got divorced and they divvied up everything, us kids included."

"Kids? Do you have siblings?"

"Had one brother."

"_Had_? Oh, is he dead?"

"No, no. He's with my dad in Nebraska, probably wishin' he _was_ dead." She rolled her eyes. "But anyway… do you have any ribbon?"

"Oh, yes, of course." He handed her one. "Do you… ever wish your brother was here?"

"Not really. He probably turned out like my dad, and that is not a good thing. I bet he's either drinking, smoking, or doing drugs, and he'd be almost fourteen now."

"You shouldn't expect the worst of people, Re-chan. After all, you can turn out the opposite of whoever raised you. **(1)** Not that I'm saying you're wrong or anything… oh, I'm so sorry! I'm just so stupid!"

"You're not stupid, Ritsu-san, and stop saying that! For God's sake, you're a human being, I happen to find you very intelligent, and you need to stop calling yourself all those horrible names! Otherwise, I'm gonna hit you over the head and _I'll_ be calling you stupid for letting me!"

He looked down. "… I'm sorry… please forgive me…"

Without thinking, Becky wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's okay, Ritsu-san!"

There was a _poof_, and in place of Ritsu, there was a monkey on the chair now.

"Ah!" Becky reeled back, but then realized that she'd activated the curse by mistake. _Ritsu must be the Year of the Monkey…_ "S-Sorry, Ritsu-san!" She hugged him again and covered her eyes as he got dressed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I totally forgot!"

"I-It's fine! Please don't worry! Ohhhh, I didn't mean to make you feel guilty! _Forgive me, Re-chan_!"

She giggled. "Kidding, Ritsu-san!"

"Rebecca."

Becky looked over as she was about to continue braiding Ritsu's hair. She saw her mother, auburn hair pulled up in a messy bun and emerald eyes tired. She looked worn-out beyond all belief. _That interrogation with Akito must have been rough on her…_ "Hi, Ma. Oh, Ritsu-san! This is my mom, Nancy Bridges. Have you met Ritsu-san, Ma?"

Nancy held up a hand. "Hello, Sohma-san. Pleasure."

Ritsu nodded politely. "Greetings, Mrs. Bridges. You look so tired! Would you like me to get you anything? Some green tea might help you relax."

She gave a sigh as she sat next to her daughter. "If you wouldn't mind, Sohma-san. My head hurts…"

Ritsu jumped up. "Of course! Oh, forgive me for not offering sooner! I'll be right back!" He fled to the kitchen.

Becky shook Nancy's arm. "Ma, what's the matter? I haven't seen you like this since New Year's Day, 2006."

"We're… not going to be leaving for a while, Rebecca." Nancy pushed her bangs from her eyes. "I told Akito-sama about the curse, and… well… he's still a little bit unsure about if he can trust us with the Sohma curse or not. So, he's having us stay in this house so that he can keep an eye on us. Now, apparently, Tohru has a room here. You stay there with her. I'm staying with Hatori… no matter how furious I am with him right now, I still love him."

Becky nodded. "Yuki and I patched things up… but he ran off like a wuss when I said I was going to braid somebody's hair. Shigure-san left, and he followed with the excuse that he and his hair were gonna yell at him."

Nancy scoffed, smiling. "Oh, men…"

Becky leaned over and wrapped her arms around her mother. "It's okay, Ma. We'll get through it. And, hey – we'll be the only women in a house full of mostly eligible, _fine_ guys! Am I right? I can pursue Yuki, or maybe Haru-kun, you can pursue… well… Hatori-san's taken, but you can have Ayame, Shigure-san…"

Nancy laughed, putting an arm around her daughter. "Okay, okay, I get it, Rebecca. One, you want me to get back out there. And, two…" She glanced around and grinned. "We now live in a house that, besides us and Tohru and the little girls, is full of sexy pretty boys."

"Now you thinkin' the _right_ way, Mama."

A mischievous grin, an expression not often seen on women over thirty, spread across Nancy's face. "Let the fun, seduction, and hilarity begin."

"I'm hearin' party time! Woo-hoo!" Becky rejoiced.

**(1) – But obviously not Ritsu, because he's just like his mother! Tee-hee!**

**... How's THAT for a fast update? XD epic fail ^^  
**

_**Preview of Chapter 18…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"_**You are batty."**_

"_**Oh, **__**I'M**__** batty? No, I ain't! You wanna know what's batty?" She held up Kyo's foam baseball stick. "This BAT **__**is BATTY**__**! Well, buh-bye, now, I have two other men to rouse."**_

"_**Rouse…" He grinned. "Thanks! I might use that word in my next novel!"**_

"_**First one's free – next time I give you a good word, you pay me twenty bucks for every time you use it in the story."**_

"_**And WHY**__** would you ask that of me?"**_

"_**Hey, a girl's gotta make spending money somehow, and this way, I won't have to wear a stupid hat. Like at McDonalds or some weirdo hot dog place where I WOULD**__** have to wear a stupid hat."**_


	18. Chapter 18

_With these hands, I will brave the first morning of my new life._

Becky expected, the next morning, to be shaken and poked awake. She also expected it to be by her mother, who would also yell, "Get your lazy ass up! You'll be late for school!" But, as if by some God-sent miracle, that didn't happen.

For one thing, she wasn't _throttled_ awake, and she didn't have a bucket of water dumped over her. She was _gently shaken_ awake on the shoulder. For another thing, it was not her mother who woke her up. As she looked up, yawning, she saw her friend, Tohru Honda, with a hand on her shoulder and softly calling her name. "Becky-chan… Becky-chan, wake up…"

Becky sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Tohru-chan? Why am I not at home?" Then the events of the previous night came back to her, and she rolled her eyes. "Oh. Right. Y'all know about my curse and we have to stay here so Akito-sama can…" She lifted her hands and put air quotes around the next phrase. "'Keep an eye on us'. Bull_crap_. He just wants an excuse to call us liars and Gossipy Gretchens so he can erase our minds again." She stretched her arms, something in her back cracking loudly. "Ah… anyway! Did somebody bring my backpack over?"

"There's no school today, Becky-chan." Tohru gave her a slightly weird look, like she was crazy. Which she knew she was, of course, but that was no reason to _look_ at her like it. "Remember? It's Saturday. You came here and started school on Tuesday, and it's only been four days since you got here. Two days off!"

"Oh… yeah, right… I knew that." She flung the covers off and stood up, to find that she'd fallen asleep in the outfit she'd worn yesterday. "So… why'd you wake me up so early, then?"

"I didn't want you to miss breakfast! Most important meal of the day, you know!"

"Okay… let's go, then."

Tohru happily led her into the kitchen. As Becky just stood there, Tohru began to get pans and spatulas and bowls – she obviously knew where everything was. "Um, Tohru…" Becky looked around the empty kitchen. "Where's everybody else?"

"Asleep, probably. I always have breakfast ready when they wake up, and they're always so happy about it."

"Then why do _I_ need to be here? Why can't I go back to sleep?"

"'Cause I can tell you like helping people! You can help me make breakfast, and that'll help everybody else."

"… You know what? People take a long time to get ready for the day, especially my mom, even if they're just eating breakfast." She shrugged. "They usually leave right after they eat, right? So maybe they'd be grateful if I went and woke them up now so they could do everything necessary before breakfast and then just go do what they want."

"I like the way you think, Becky-chan!" Tohru was in the refrigerator now. "Go get everyone up! Oh, and Shigure-san's house isn't that far from here – just to the left a little ways. They eat breakfast over here, too, so you better wake them up, as well."

"Okie-dokie. Should I wake Akito-sama up, too?"

"No!" Tohru suddenly turned around, looking horrified. "No, Becky-chan! Don't wake him up! Don't _ever_ go near Akito-sama's room! You never go in there unless you absolutely _have_ to and only if someone's with you!" She calmed down a little, and smiled. "Hatori-san will bring Akito-sama his breakfast."

That was just a little weird, but alright. "… Okay…" Becky walked out of the kitchen. "Bye-bye, then."

"See you later!"

Becky walked first into the room she knew to be Hatori's. She was pleasantly surprised to find the door unlocked. She walked in and stretched again. She found Hatori sleeping sprawled across his desk (which probably wasn't comfortable), and Nancy lying on the sofa in the room (which likely wasn't comfortable, either).

She walked over and shook her mother. "Ma. Ma, wake up. Time to get up and get ready for the weekend."

Nancy's eyes opened and she looked up tiredly. "Oh. Hey, bluejay." She reached up and pulled Becky into a tight hug. "How are you this mornin'?"

"I am… with responsibility to wake everyone the _hell_ up." She placed a hand on Hatori's head and shook lightly from side to side. "Ohhhh, Hatori-san! Rise and shine, shine and rise, bacon's a-fryin', so open your eyes!"

Hatori lifted his head up, blinking wearily. "Bacon? I heard bacon." He looked over his shoulder. "Ohhh, Rebecca. Good morning. Were you sent to wake me?"

"Dude-man, I was sent to wake _everybody_."

"Is your mother still here?"

"I'm still here," Nancy answered rather loudly, standing up. "But I am quickly leaving, Hatori Sohma, and I am going to take a shower. Maybe you can talk to me after I've calmed down a bit." She left, almost slamming the door but stopping herself.

Becky looked at the door, then at Hatori. "… _What did you say_?"

Hatori sweatdropped. "N-Now, Rebecca… your mother and I simply had a conversation last night. That's all."

"She wouldn't be that upset if all you did was talk nicely. What did you say to her?"

"… All I did was ask her how old she was now."

"Did she answer?"

"Oh, that's irrelevant." He shook his head. "I didn't mean to offend her, I was just wondering!"

"She's thirty-seven. She's _really_ sensitive about it, and she is _so_ not looking forward to turning forty. How old are _you_?"

"Almost thirty-four."

"Dang. Talk about your age gap."

"We're only about three years apart."

"In my mom's world, that is making you, like, the newest piece of technology… while she's an ancient trilobite."

"Well, I don't think that at all! She looks amazing for her age, and considering the fact that she's had kids. I swear, she looks exactly like she did in college. I didn't mean anything by it…"

"That's how my mom's mind works." She opened the door. "Get used to it, dude. Just don't mention age around her. Later."

Becky yawned and walked into other rooms. After she'd woken up the three youngsters, Kagura, Kisa, and Hiro, she tickled Momiji awake and beat Kyo over the head with a pillow to get him up. After that, she conveniently mentioned to Kagura (who was obsessed with Kyo, as Tohru had told her) that Kitty was awake, and the little girl squealed Kyo's name happily and ran off to Kyo's room.

… After which, Becky heard, "_Damn it, you kiss-curse traitor_!", and proceeded to laugh her ass off.

Becky then headed out into the woods to find Shigure's home. She took a foam bat she'd stolen from Kyo's room with her just in case there were any skeevy perverts (or Shigure, for that matter) creeping around in the forest. She reached a house that had a sign reading "Shigure Sohma & Co." on it, and decided this was his place. She opened the door and flicked on a light. "Hello?"

"Ahhhhhh!" somebody screamed.

Becky screamed back. "What? What, why are you yelling?"

She saw Ritsu sitting at the table. He looked terrified, and pointed at her hand, where she held the bat. "What are you going to do with that, Re-chan?"

Becky looked at her hand and dropped the bat to her side. "… Uh, nothin'. I brought it along for protection. I certainly wasn't going to bop Shigure on the head or anything… no, siree, not me, I would never…" She walked over. "Well, I see you're up, at least." She ruffled his hair, grinning. "Where are the other three Lazy Boy Recliners?"

"… Shigure-san, Ayame-san, and Yuki-kun?"

"Yup."

"In their rooms, probably still sleeping. I'm usually the only one up at this time."

"Ah, well. Saved me the trouble of waking you up, thank you very much. I'ma go find them and get _their_ asses up. I was sent to do that, because Tohru-chan is making breakfast!"

"Ah!" Ritsu jumped up. "I should have woken them up for you! I'm so sorry, Re-chan! I should have been more considerate! Oh, I'm so thoughtless, I'm sorry! I don't deserve to live!" He flailed his arms wildly. "I apologize to people who have to have the same name as I do!"

"Damn it…" Becky decided to try out Shigure's Magic Touch. She reached over, and poked Ritsu in the side. He sat down, slumping across the table, whimpering, but at least his mouth shut off. "It's too early for this…" She patted him on the head and walked off into the hall.

The rooms were actually marked here, which made things a whole _hell_ of a lot easier for her. Not wanting to actually go _in_ the lair of the beast, she simply knocked on the door. "Shigure! Time to wake up! Tohru-chan is making breakfast at the main house!"

Shigure poked his head out the door. "And _you_ were sent to wake me up?"

"Yes, siree Bob. Now… I don't think you washed behind your ears last night."

Shigure rolled his eyes. "Is that your _loving_ way of telling me I need to go take a shower, pretty girl?"

"Spot on, Shigure."

"You are batty."

"Oh, _I'm_ batty? No, I ain't! You wanna know what's batty?" She held up Kyo's foam baseball stick. "This _bat_ is _batty_! Well, buh-bye, now, I have two other men to rouse."

"Rouse…" He grinned. "Thanks! I might use that word in my next novel!"

"First one's free – next time I give you a good word, you pay me twenty bucks for every time you use it in the story."

"And _why_ would you ask that of me?"

"Hey, a girl's gotta make spending money somehow, and this way, I won't have to wear a stupid hat. Like at McDonalds or some weirdo hot dog place where I _would_ have to wear a stupid hat."

"Hmmph." With that, he shut the door.

Becky sighed and went to Ayame's room. She opened the door and peeked in. He lie on the bed, a book open on his chest. She tugged on a strand of his long hair. "Ayameeeeeeee! Time to get up! You don't have an alarm clock, so I must be your alarm! Rrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiing!"

Ayame opened his eyes, and blinked at her. "Becca! Oh, my dear girl!" He instantly sat up and grabbed her hands. "You look nice."

"I just rolled out of bed. But it's flattering, anyway. Tohru-chan's making breakfast, and I just woke up darn near everybody, so… get up and I will have no reason to beat you unconscious with a pillow like I did to Kyo."

"Oh, of course! I would never disrespect you, you know that." He stretched his arms. "Anyone else you need to wake up?"

"Just Yuki-kun."

"Alright, then. See you soon."

Becky walked out, and let out a breath as she looked at Yuki's room. How would he react to being woken up so early? Especially when it wasn't even a school day?

She gripped the doorknob. Only one way to find out…

_**Preview of Chapter 19…**_

_**-xxx-**_

_**Yuki stood up, taking his shirt with him. "I'm going to go take a shower. I trust you'll be back at the main house?"**_

"_**Till everyone gets there. I dunno what I'm gonna do then. I'll probably just hang around the house the entire day and bug the hell out of Shigure. I might mess with Ritsu-san's head, too…"**_

_**Turning back to her, Yuki raised an eyebrow. "And exactly how would you go about doing that?"**_

"_**Well, I'd set a video camera up in his room…"**_

"_**Something tells me this isn't headed anywhere I want to go…"**_


	19. Chapter 19

_With these hands, I will treat you gently._

Becky opened the door to Yuki's room, and walked inside. She was almost surprised, and at first thought somebody had put the sign on the wrong room. This place was so clean! How was there _any_ way that this was a boy's bedroom? Everything was so neat and organized!

She tiptoed over to the bed and looked down. Yuki lie there, the covers half off, one leg bent at the knee, the other straight. His violet eyes were closed, but not squeezed shut. She had to giggle, because his hair was messy right now. One arm was resting lightly on his stomach, the other hand on his pillow. His mouth was slightly open, and he was snoring quietly.

Becky sat down on the bed, just wanting to look at him. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. She didn't really want to wake him up – he was just like an angel when he slept, it seemed a shame to wake him up from that. She reached down, and carefully ran her fingers through his hair. Though messy, it was still soft. She traced down his cheek and jaw with one finger, and she felt a spark run through her hand, and she smiled. It wasn't a bad spark; it felt good.

She decided that she hadn't ever felt anything like that when she'd been with Mike.

Bending down, she lightly placed her lips on his cheek for just a fraction of a second. "Yuki-kun, time to get up." She gave him a peck on the other cheek, grinning. "Wake up."

"Mmmm." Yuki brushed his face, turned over. "Too tired…" He yawned, settling his head back into the pillow.

Becky rolled her eyes. So he was going to be a tough one to wake up in the morning. "Well, _fine_, then, your slumbering Majesty." She stood up, and grabbed onto the end of his covers. "You got one chance, rat boy."

"Mmmph," Yuki mumbled into his pillow, eyebrows knitting together. "Away…"

He wanted her to go away. "Alright, then, this how it's gonna be. Three… two… ONE!" She yanked the covers off him, tossing them on the floor. "Wake it up!"

"Stop iiiiiit." He turned again, this time opting to roll onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow.

"Eh!" Becky poked him in the back, and her eyes widened as she realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Boy, you sleep shirtless?"

"Ummmph." He lifted a hand and waved, almost as if dismissing her. "Five… minutes…"

"Uh-uh. Uh-uh, that's it." She rolled him over and got close to his ear. "Boy, don't you _make_ me get the hose!"

"I'm awake!" He sat up and looked over. "… Rebecca?" He yawned, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the main home, staying in Honda-san's room?"

"I got the privilege of waking everyone up. Breakfast is a-cookin'."

"Oh, I see…" He looked down. "Oh, dear!" He grabbed his blanket off the floor and covered his bare chest. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know you'd be here!"

"It's okay! Damn… I swear, you're just as bad as Ritsu."

"Trust me, _nobody_ is as bad as him." He got up and stretched. "Uh… I'm going to make my bed, would you mind getting me a shirt from my closet?"

"Sure." She opened it up and browsed. Most of it was just duplicates of his school uniform. "… Damn, you don't have much variety, do you?"

"I suppose not."

"… You're not a morning person, are you?"

"I can tell you aren't, either."

"I'm not, really… unless I'm with you." She grabbed a black long-sleeved shirt out of his closet and tossed it at him. "There ya go!"

"Hey, whoa! I wasn't ready!" As the shirt landed over his head, he now couldn't see, and started to fall off the bed. "Ah, help!"

"Whoa!" Becky quickly ran over and caught him under the arms. He removed the shirt over his head and she grinned at him. "I got _you_, babe."

He chuckled, sitting up with her help. "Sonny and Cher – one of my favorites."

"My mom _loves_ Sonny and Cher – well, Cher, mostly. 'It's In His Kiss' was practically her theme song after the divorce. Now it's 'Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves', though."

"You know, Ritsu-san told me something interesting last night." He scratched his head. "I didn't know you had a brother."

Becky felt herself blush. "Yeah, well… there's a lotta things you don't know about me."

"So when your mother was speaking about the fact that she had Bret's clothes… is Bret your brother's name?"

"Yeah. He's turning fourteen soon, I think."

"Miss him?"

"My parents divorced two years after he was born. I was only four. I hardly knew him. And you know what? I'm not even sure I care. He probably grew up like my dad."

"…" Yuki stood up, taking his shirt with him. "I'm going to go take a shower. I trust you'll be back at the main house?"

"Till everyone gets there. I dunno what I'm gonna do then. I'll probably just hang around the house the entire day and bug the hell out of Shigure. I might mess with Ritsu-san's head, too…"

Turning back to her, Yuki raised an eyebrow. "And exactly how would you go about doing that?"

"Well, I'd set a video camera up in his room…"

"Something tells me this isn't headed anywhere I want to go…"

"And then I'd walk him there, and I'd yell at him, 'It's all your fault!' And then I'd lock him in there, go to the camera-monitoring room, and watching the hilarious havoc. Then I'd sell the tape to Shigure for some spending money."

"… Besides Honda-san and my family, you have no life at all, do you, Rebecca?"

"None whatsoever, Yuki-kun," she grinned, lying down on the bed. "I probably wouldn't do that to the poor guy, though, I'm not _that_ cruel, and… ooh, this is comfy. Maybe Shigure will let me stay here some time."

"Not in _my_ bed."

"He likes _me_ better. Who do you think he'll throw on the floor with an air mattress?"

"… I'm not having this childish conversation." With that, Yuki walked out. "You better be gone by the time I get out of the shower, by the way!"

Becky sat up and pouted. "What'd I say?"

_**Preview of Chapter 20…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"_**Maybe he doesn't wanna go with her," Kyo whispered.**_

"_**Don't be ridiculous," Tohru whispered back. "I can tell they like each other! Why wouldn't he wanna go with her?**_

"_**Tohru-koi, he's a GUY. Guys aren't exactly the best people at expressing their feelings.'**_

"_**YOU do."**_

"_**I'm a special case, and I'm a work in progress."**_

"_**You ain't no 'work in progress'," Becky scoffed. "You just a PIECE of work, is what YOU are, dude." She looked up at Yuki, and lightly curled her fingers around his. "… What do you say, Yuki?" She felt blood rush to her cheeks (though she wasn't sure how, seeing as right now it was all being pulled down to her brain by the magic of gravity). "… Would you like to go on a date with me?"**_


	20. Chapter 20

_With these hands, I will take away your boredom._

"Hey. Hey, Tohru-chan?"

The brunette looked over, blinking at her blonde friend. "What is it, Becky-chan?"

"I'm _booooored_." Becky was sitting upside-down on the couch, bare feet dangling over the back. She sat between Yuki and Ritsu, while Kyo and Tohru sat on the other side of Ritsu. Her hair was almost brushing the carpet, and she had her hands on her stomach, which was slightly exposed by her pink spaghetti-strap top. "There is _nothing_ on TV today."

"I'm sorry," Ritsu blurted out. "I should have rented a movie or something! I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking! I can go get one right now!"

"You're not getting your ass off this couch," Becky told him in a singsong voice, closing her eyes. "I just wish there was something exciting on."

"Well," Kyo commented, "you know, there's an easy solution to that."

"What?"

"Well, if someone dies, then there'll be news. News is always fun."

Both Tohru and Becky smacked him on the back of the head. "That's mean, Kyo-koi!" Tohru scolded.

"Yeah," Becky agreed. "If you're going to kill someone, go for someone who's already gonna die! You know, like _Death Note_! Man, that show is awesome!"

Kyo scoffed. "Like I'd ever let _that_ show in this house. Light Yagami is an idiot with a God complex, that detective is way too quirky, and I'm pretty sure Near and Mello are on the _glue_." He crossed his arms. "I hate that show." **(1)**

"Grrrr." Becky opened her eyes and glared at him. "Button your yap, Kitty, or I'll lock you in your litter box."

"H-Hey! You wouldn't dare!"

"Eh." She shrugged. "You're right, I probably wouldn't. But it's still fun to make you squirm! Hee-hee-hee!"

"Sadist!"

"Instigator!"

"Stop using words I don't know!"

"Please stop fighting," Tohru sighed. "We're _all_ bored, Becky-chan. There's not much we can do."

"I'm sorry, Tohru-chan. But Puss-in-Boots over there is being mean to me."

"You're _both_ being mean."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Kyo?" Tohru said expectantly.

"… Fine. I accept your apology, and I'm sorry, too."

"I accept, Kyo-kun." She stretched, and her hand happened to land in Yuki's lap as she did. "Whoops… sorry, Yuki."

"That's alright." He placed his hand over top of hers. "I don't mind."

"Hey! I have an idea!" Tohru suddenly shouted. "Kyo, we haven't gone on a date since last week."

"As you keep reminding me almost every day. Your point?"

"We could go to the movies! And we could make it a double date."

Kyo laughed. "I think Ritsu's a little too old for Becks. I mean, he's in college."

"Ugh!" Tohru gave him a light slap on the arm. "You are clueless! I mean you and I, and Becky and _Yuki_!"

"Uh-uh. No way am I spending an entire day with the rat."

"It won't be the _entire_ day, Kyo! And Becky-chan can sit between you two so you don't kill each other. In fact, I can sit behind Becky-chan, Yuki can sit on the other side of her, and you can sit on the other side of me. How's that?"

"Well… I guess, if we won't be near each other…" Kyo glanced over. "What do you say, rat? Think you can get along with me for a few hours?"

Yuki didn't say anything. All he did was stare down, at his hand over top of Becky's.

"Maybe he doesn't wanna go with her," Kyo whispered.

"Don't be ridiculous," Tohru whispered back. "I can tell they like each other! Why wouldn't he wanna go with her?

"Tohru-koi, he's a _guy_. Guys aren't exactly the best people at expressing their feelings.'

"_You_ do."

"I'm a special case, and I'm a work in progress."

"You ain't no 'work in progress'," Becky scoffed. "You just a _piece_ of work, is what _you_ are, dude." She looked up at Yuki, and lightly curled her fingers around his. "… What do you say, Yuki?" She felt blood rush to her cheeks (though she wasn't sure how, seeing as right now it was all being pulled down to her brain by the magic of gravity). "… Would you like to go on a date with me?"

He looked down at her, and he seemed to be trying to word his answer. His violet eyes met hers, holding her gaze as he knew they always could. He pulled his hand out of her grip, and ran his thumb over the back of her hand. "… Like I said, Rebecca, you're a very interesting person." The corners of his mouth twitched upward, and his eyes closed halfway. "I would, of course, be honored."

"Wa-hoo!" Becky kicked her feet up. "Party, party!" Then she looked over at her brown-haired friend, and noticed that he looked sad. "Awww, guys! We're leaving poor Ritsu-san out of all the fun! Why don't we let him come, too? He can be a kind of chaperone!"

Ritsu looked up at her, his eyes shining with gratitude. "R-Really? You won't be embarrassed to be seen with me?"

"Of course not!"

"For once, you better be speaking only for yourself, Becks," Kyo muttered under his breath – thinking she couldn't hear him.

"Oh, come _on_, Kyo! Have you no heart? He doesn't even have to sit with us! He can sit a row or two behind ours!"

"You are just like Tohru-koi, you know that? You take every chance to help people!"

"If I'm just like Tohru, you should _love_ me! Why is helping people a bad thing, huh, cat boy?"

"'Cause sometimes it ain't even necessary!"

"Screw you!"

"The monkey stays here!"

"Uh, no, the _monkey_ comes with us!"

Kyo leaned back. "This is crazy! You're insane!"

Ritsu pouted. "K-Kyo… if you don't want me there…"

"No!" Becky shouted, pushing herself up. "You're coming, Ritsu-san, whether Kyo likes it or not!"

"Okay, _fine_! But if he comes, he's paying his own way!"

"I planned on it…" Ritsu mumbled, not that anyone was even listening anymore.

"Okay!" Becky sat down regularly, first placing her legs in Yuki's lap for a second so she could swivel around and put them on the floor. "Looks like we're going to the show!"

"Dude, who says 'the show' anymore?"

"Shut your trap, Kitty, or I'll make sure you don't get milk for a week!"

"You're evil!"

"And you need to get the tuna stank out your mouth! _Somebody_ didn't brush this morning!"

Shigure walked into the room amid the argument. "… Um, Ritsu, what's going on in here?"

Ritsu smiled. "I think… I'm going to the movies with them."

"Oh. Well… have fun. But I do believe Akito will want to talk to you before you leave. You know… he's keeping an eye on Rebecca and all."

"Oh… yes, you're probably right." Ritsu looked back to Kyo and Becky.

"That's it, Kitten!" Becky slammed her elbow down on the table. "Come on, arm wrestle!"

"You're nuts! I'm not gonna arm wrestle a girl!"

"Oh, why? You afraid you gonna lose? Ha-ha, you ain't no cat – you's a _chicken_! Bawk, bawk, bawk, bkawk!"

"Sh-Shut uo! Y-You're on!"

"Hey, your fly's down."

"What?"

Becky slammed his arm down. "Yes! I win!"

"That wasn't fair!"

-xxx-

"… I-I really don't feel comfortable with this, Uncle." Ritsu tugged nervously at his shirt.

"It doesn't matter, Ritsu. I must keep an eye on this girl and her mother. If she is going somewhere and you are going with her, you have to do this, no matter what you do."

"B-But Uncle… I don't feel good doing this to Re-chan. It's dishonest, and it will be unfair to her, and to Yuki-kun."

"Ritsu, you will obey me!" Akito reached over and grabbed a fistful of Ritsu's long hair. "You disobey me, and I will cut all your hair off! I will make you dress in men's clothes _all_ day, and I will tell your mother that you've been a bad boy!"

"N-No!" Tears spilled over Ritsu's golden eyes. "P-Please! Do what you want to me, but leave my mother out of this! She doesn't deserve to be lied to!" He dropped to his knees. "… I'm sorry. I will do as you wish. Just don't say anything to my mother… or my father…"

"Dismissed. You wouldn't want to miss _Rebecca-chan's_ first date, would you?"

"… I wouldn't think of it."

"Good. Make sure she doesn't try anything with my son. Otherwise… I'll have to punish her."

Ritsu swallowed, and kept his head down so his uncle couldn't see any more of his tears. "… Yes, Uncle."

**(1) – OK, nobody yell at me for this. Seriously. In fact, I LOVE **_**Death Note**_**. One of my favorite shows ever. I just needed something for Kyo and Becky to fight about. DON'T KILL MEH!**

**Wooo, chapter 20! Major milestone. Haha. You know what? Back when I was feverishly writing this story, I had wanted to start a Ritsu story, and then do some of my Naruto work, but I PROMISED myself to finish Chapter 25 before I began work on anything else. So there's my commitment. And I just started writing some more last night, and today, so I'm currently working on Chapter… 28 I think? And as soon as I'm able, I will work on it. I have planned out at least 35 chapters for this… and if everyone's nice to me (which you all have been so far, thank you!) I will give you ALL a nice (well, I hope you'll think it's nice) surprise at the end of Chapter 35. I'm not sure how smoothly it'll all go, but I love you and keep the reviews and faves coming! I love you guys!**

**-Ai-chan ^^**

_**Preview of Chapter 21…**_

_**-xxx-**_

_**Becky raised an eyebrow. "Who are you texting, anyway?"**_

_**Kyo pointed over at Yuki, and Yuki raised his hand.**_

"_**But you're standing RIGHT NEXT to each other. You could just talk, you know."**_

"_**Yeah, we could, but I don't assume you want to hear the things we're saying."**_

"_**You're INSULTING each other VIA CELL PHONE?"**_

"_**Yep," both boys answered.**_

"_**That's it." Becky held out both her hands. "I want everybody's cell phone. Come on, right now. Fork 'em over, boys."**_


	21. Chapter 21

_With these hands, I will express my affection for you as I try to cause no harm to you._

Becky stared up at the choice for movies as they all waited in line. "What d'you wanna see, Tohru-chan?" She put her hands on her hips, flicking her hair over her shoulder. She looked back where Kyo and Yuki were playing with their cell phones. Ritsu was completely fidgety, near constantly pulling his shirt away from his body, like it was too tight or something.

Tohru was looking up, as well. "Oh… how about _Call to Passion_? That's supposed to be a good one."

"Ohhh." Becky looked at the theatrical poster, and brightened when she saw that it was basically a guy and a girl making out, and the guy was in a military uniform. "Yes! That one! I love it! Let's see it!"

"Not a chance," Kyo protested, looking up from his phone.

Becky raised an eyebrow. "Who are you texting, anyway?"

Kyo pointed over at Yuki, and Yuki raised his hand.

"But you're standing _right next_ to each other. You could just _talk_, you know."

"Yeah, we could, but I don't assume you want to hear the things we're saying."

"You're _insulting_ each other _via cell phone_?"

"Yep," both boys answered.

"That's it." Becky held out both her hands. "I want everybody's cell phone. Come on, right now. Fork 'em over, boys."

"Why?" Kyo whined, while Yuki compliantly handed his over.

"Because I don't want anybody texting during the movie, especially anything negative that could ruin this day. Now give it here! You, too, Ritsu-san, please."

Kyo smacked his phone down in her hand, crossing his arms. She put them in her purse and held out her hand for Ritsu's. He looked down, then pulled it out of his pocket and reluctantly gave it to her. She put it in her other pocket (her right pocket had her own phone, which she'd turned off for the time) and smiled. "Thank you, boys."

"Hey!" Kyo shouted. "Why ain't you takin' Tohru-koi's phone?"

"Because I _trust_ her."

"Why don't you trust me and Yuki but you trust _her_?"

"Maybe because _she_ isn't texting anybody with mean comments while we're _still in line to buy tickets_. Now come on, we're watching _Call to Passion_."

"_Hell_… no." Kyo glared at her. "That's a mushy chick flick! We're watching _Time for Action_!" **(1)**

"No stinkin' way! _Call to Passion_!"

"_Time for Action_!"

"_Passion_!"

"_Action_!"

"RITSU-SAN!" Becky turned to the brunette. "Me and Tohru-chan want to watch _Call to Passion_, and Kyo's being stupid!"

"Actually," Yuki spoke up, "I'm in favor of Kyo's decision this time. I don't like romance movies."

"Ohhhh, I knew it!" Becky pointed an accusing finger at her date. "I knew you'd turn on me! Why are you taking Kyo's side? You two hate each other, in case you've somehow forgotten in the last ten seconds!"

"I'm agreeing with Kyo because I don't feel like sitting through an hour and a half of just two people arguing back and forth about how much they love each other. That's all that's going to happen, unless one of them decides to have an affair. Then there'll be screaming. A lot of screaming. Besides, that movie is rated R – there may be a sex scene, and I find that disgusting. And we can't get in, even if we wanted to."

Becky gestured to Ritsu. "_Hello_! He's, what, twenty-two? He's at least over eighteen. We can go in as long as we're with him. We're seeing _Call to Passion_, and we'll just cover our eyes during the dirty-dirty!"

"N-Now," Ritsu stammered, holding up his hands. "I-I'm the chaperone here. I-I have to decide… what's right for you kids, and…" He pulled a strand of his hair. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to yell! Oh, I'm out of control!"

"Come on, Ritsu-san!" Becky hung onto his arm. "Pleeeeease? It's a really romantic movie!"

"We're not seeing it," Kyo called, taking a step forward, as the line was now moving.

"_Ritsu-san makes the final decision_!"

Ritsu looked down, then up. "… I guess we're seeing _Call to Passion_."

"Nooooooooo!"

Becky tugged Kyo's ear. "Enough already! We're seeing the romance movie!"

"Owwwwww! Let go, let go! I _need_ that ear later!"

"For _what_? You never listen to anybody!"

-xxx-

"… _I'm sorry, Amiko, but I have to do this. If I had to choose between my country and your love… forgive me my answer. I would choose my country every time."_

Becky reached for another handful of popcorn. "This is so sad," she whispered to Yuki, who was holding the popcorn. "Isn't it?"

"… Yes, I suppose."

Becky leaned over, and looked closer. It looked like there was water trailing from Yuki's eyes. "Y-Yuki, are you crying?"

He held a hand over his eyes so she couldn't see. "… Why, is that a problem?"

"No! Of course not! I like sensitive guys." She straightened up, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I think it's sweet."

"Hmm." Yuki ran the back of his hand over his eyes. "I appreciate your understanding, Rebecca. I guess I made the right choice agreeing to this date…"

"This is such a sad movie," Ritsu commented quietly, leaning over the seat. "I hope it has a happy ending… oh! I'm sorry for talking!" He sat back.

Becky decided to be a little bold. She reached over, and placed her hand in Yuki's, which was facing palm-up on the arm rest. "Yuki-kun… do you wanna... hold my hand?"

He nodded, and wrapped his fingers around her hand. "Thank you." He leaned over, and rested his head on top of hers. "I… suppose you made a good choice with the movie. Just… expect that if there is ever any… er… indecency… I _will_ cover _your_ eyes."

"Yep, I didn't expect anything less," she giggled.

Near the end, Becky had almost fallen asleep on Yuki's shoulder. She managed to keep herself awake, and she was still paying attention. This was nothing less than the emotional climax of the entire movie. She was still squeezing Yuki's hand, completely enthralled by what Amiko was saying.

"… _I may be just a woman, Hirohi, but… I am a woman who loves you! I can accept that you pick our country first! But please marry me! I don't care how long you'll be gone – I will always wait for you!"_

A loud chorus of "awwww"s echoed through the theater. "Aw, that's so sweet," Becky whispered, feeling her eyes tear up.

"Rebecca."

She looked over and saw Yuki looking at her. "What's the matter, Yuki?"

"… May I… give you… a kiss?"

She was fairly sure that her entire face was red. "… Yeah, sure. But… try not to…"

"I'll be careful. You'll barely feel it, and here…" He drew away from her so that he wasn't touching her. "I'll try not to touch you with anything… but my… lips…"

"… Okay… I'm ready…" She closed her eyes. She felt Yuki's lips touch hers. It was the lightest of brushes, with his lips hardly even making contact with hers.

It burned all the same. But it wasn't as bad of a burn as she'd had when Mike kissed her. He wasn't pressing too hard, and besides… she had a feeling she was more attracted to Yuki than she'd been to Mike, even after considering the amount of time she'd known each of them. She whimpered against his lips, and tried to press back a little. But no matter how much the burn had lessened because of how light the kiss was, and no matter how much she liked Yuki, there was no denying the fact that it still hurt very badly.

After not three seconds, she pulled away. She placed a hand over her mouth, sighing and trying not to cry. It still hurt, even though she kept trying to deny it.

"It's alright," Yuki said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're fine. It's over. I won't do it again, not if you don't want me to. I don't want to do it if it's going to hurt you like this every time I do…" He picked up her water bottle and held it out to her. "H-Here, drink something… that should help…"

All of a sudden, Ritsu's phone vibrated in her pocket. Blinking, she took it out and accidentally hit the "Read Text" button. Words flashed across the screen: _stop them!_

Becky turned around and held the phone out to its owner. "Ritsu-san, you have a text message."

"Oh…?" He took it and read it. Terror flashed across his face. He dropped his phone and covered his face with his hands. "I'm so sorry, Re-chan!" He then got up and ran out of the theater, sobbing.

Becky looked after him, then stood up. "I'll go talk to him."

Yuki nodded. "Of course."

"I will be back – _with_ him."

"From you, I would expect no less, Rebecca."

_**Preview of Chapter 22…**_

_**-xxx-**_

_Becky leaned over the sink, gripping the sides of the counter. She tried to control her breathing as anger bubbled up in her stomach and chest. She had absolutely no words to describe Akito right now. Monster, jerk, and asshole didn't even __**begin**__ to sum him up. She was so mad at him – even madder than she'd been at Yuki when she realized he'd lied to her. How could Akito do that? How could he make someone as sweet and kind as Ritsu do something like this just so he could "keep an eye on her" while she went out with Yuki? It just about blew her mind. "__**Akito, you self-serving bastard**__!" She drew her hand back, and was about to smash the mirror to bits. Then she decided that wouldn't accomplish anything but busting a mirror and possibly getting rushed to the hospital for the removal of all the little tiny glass shards that would be embedded in her flesh. She punched the wall instead, and shook her hand. She knew she didn't break any of her fingers, but it was just a step down from that pain._

_She'd have to tell her mother about this. Knowing Nancy, __**something**__ would get done. But there was no telling if it would be Ritsu getting off the hook… or Akito getting nailed in the face. Both, hopefully._


	22. Chapter 22

_With these hands, I will forgive your family._

Becky ran out of the theater and looked around. Well, Ritsu wasn't anywhere in the lobby, as a quick search revealed. Biting her lip, she tried to think. Where else could he have gone? He wouldn't have driven off; he was their ride home, so he was too nice to do that. The men's room? She briefly entertained the possibility of Ritsu going into the ladies' room, but then decided he wouldn't do that. And besides, he'd dressed in men's clothes today, so if he'd gone in there, he would have gotten slapped.

She hurried over to the men's room and looked around. She didn't want anyone to see her going in. Luckily for her, there was nobody else around except the employees, and they sure as hell weren't paying any attention to her. She slipped inside, shutting the door and trying to lock it. "Ritsu-san?" she called, bending down. She looked under all the stalls. "Ritsu-san, are you in here?"

"G-Go away, Re-chan! This is the _men's_ bathroom!"

"I don't care. You're obviously upset, I had to come after you." She opened the stall his voice was coming from, and saw him sitting on the toilet, hugging his knees to his chest. "Oh, Ritsu-san…" She took his hand and gently pulled him out of the stall. "Come here, you." She dragged him over to the sink and wet a paper towel. "Wipe your face off, and tell me what's going on. Why did you run out of there after reading that text? Who was it from?"

"A-Akito-oji-san," **(1)** he mumbled, rubbing the wet towel on his face.

"Akito-sama's your uncle?"

"H-His brother was my father."

"So you're Yuki's cousin. Huh."

"H-He wanted me to stop you from kissing Yuki-kun."

"Uh…" Becky rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. How on Earth had Akito known that Yuki was going to kiss her? "But, uh… how did he know we were going to kiss in the first place?"

"Oh, I am so ashamed! I'm so sorry!" Dropping to the floor, he unbuttoned his shirt. There was a black box and wires attached to his chest. "I'm so sorry, Re-chan! I've compromised all your trust in me! I don't deserve to live! I'm so sorry! I-I turned it off after I left… but _I'm still so sorry_!"

"_You were __**wired**_?" Becky hit him over the head. "Ritsu, how could you?" She knew she shouldn't be scolding and smacking _him_, of all people, what with his low self-esteem, but she couldn't help it. She was shocked that he would do something like that; he seemed like such a nice person. "Why would you do this, Ritsu? I thought you would be supportive if I ever did decide to kiss Yuki!"

"Aaaaggggghhhhh, I'm so sorry! I'm such a terrible person!" He buried his face in his hands, his body convulsing as he sobbed. "I'm s-so sorry, Re-chan! I-I didn't _want_ to do it! But Uncle _made_ me! H-He said that – that if I d-didn't… h-he'd cut my hair and take away my kimonos and t-tell my mother I wasn't behaving!" He coughed, his fists rubbing at his eyes. "Y-You don't know my mother, Re-chan! She's the sweetest woman in the world, and that just proves that the best people have the worst luck! She didn't even deserve to have such a terrible child like me! She and my father constantly apologized for me – I'm such an embarrassment to them! And yet my mother loves me anyway, regardless of the fact that she has to apologize for everything I do! I've barely heard from her in the last six months since she sent me to live at Shigure's house!" He sobbed even more, tears falling from his face and hitting the bathroom tile. "And I miss her so much, and she's expected me to be kind to my cousins! If Uncle tells her that I've been being bad, I – I – _she doesn't deserve that_!" He pressed the damp paper towel to his face. "She doesn't deserve to hear that her only child is such a failure!" He looked up at her, blinking his big gold eyes. "A-And besides that… I-I knew Uncle would do something horrible to you and maybe even Yuki if I didn't obey him! I could just t-tell! And I don't want you hurt! I don't want anybody hurt because of me! _And I'm so sorry you had to find out, especially like this_!" He covered his face again. "_Why do I mess up the lives of everyone I care about_? I'm so stupid! I can't do anything but cause trouble for everybody!"

Becky swallowed and just about bit her tongue half out of her mouth. She should have known better than to yell at Ritsu and blame him for this. It wasn't his fault any more than it was hers or Yuki's. The only thing he had been doing was protecting her and Yuki and his mother. If anything, his following Akito's orders had simply been a display of how much he cared about her. She knelt down beside him, and placed a hand on his back, rubbing slowly back and forth to calm him down. "Ritsu… I am so sorry for yelling at you. This is not your fault, and I know that. You… You were just keeping me and your mom safe, weren't you? I'm sorry. Oh… I wish that I could hug you and make you feel better. I'm no good at making people feel better unless I hug them." She held his head to her chest, running her fingers through his hair and trying so desperately not to cry. "… Would you mind if I told Yuki what's going on? I mean… Akito's his father. He could probably tell Ayame about it, at the very least. And maybe Ayame would talk to Akito for us. I don't want you in trouble because you told me."

Ritsu sniffled, and patted around the floor until he found her hand. His fingers curled lightly around it. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" He cried into her shoulder.

Becky didn't know what else to do. She wasn't sure there was anything else she could say at this point that would make him feel any better about this. So she just sat there on the floor with him for a few minutes, rubbing his back and caressing his hair. "… It's okay, Ritsu. It's okay. Everything's going to be alright. I promise. We're all gonna be fine."

Finally, his crying seemed to slow down a little, to just a few hiccups. She looked down and smiled through her own tears. "Are you feeling better now? All cried out?"

He nodded, issuing a sniffle. "Y-Yes. Are… Are _you_ okay? I didn't make you cry, did I, Re-chan? I'm so sorry…"

"No… no, I'm fine." She rubbed her eyes. "Why don't we go see how the movie ended, ne? I bet it was a good ending."

Ritsu nodded, getting to his feet with the help of the counter. "O-Okay, Re-chan." He took a shaky breath. "A-And… Re-chan?"

"Yeah, Ritsu?"

He blinked, as if trying to rid his eyes of the tears. Then he looked back up at her and offered a tiny, sorrowful smile. "… Thank you… for comforting me…"

"You're welcome. It was no problem. Why, uh… why don't you go on ahead? I'll be there in a minute. I just need to splash some cold water on my face."

He nodded. "Okay. Please hurry, this _is_ the boys' room."

"Of course."

With that, Ritsu walked out.

Becky leaned over the sink, gripping the sides of the counter. She tried to control her breathing as anger bubbled up in her stomach and chest. She had absolutely no words to describe Akito right now. Monster, jerk, and asshole didn't even _begin_ to sum him up. She was so mad at him – even madder than she'd been at Yuki when she realized he'd lied to her. How could Akito do that? How could he make someone as sweet and kind as Ritsu do something like this just so he could "keep an eye on her" while she went out with Yuki? It just about blew her mind. "_Akito, you self-serving bastard_!" She drew her hand back, and was about to smash the mirror to bits. Then she decided that wouldn't accomplish anything but busting a mirror and possibly getting rushed to the hospital for the removal of all the little tiny glass shards that would be embedded in her flesh. She punched the wall instead, and shook her hand. She knew she didn't break any of her fingers, but it was just a step down from that pain.

She'd have to tell her mother about this. Knowing Nancy, _something_ would get done. But there was no telling if it would be Ritsu getting off the hook… or Akito getting nailed in the face. Both, hopefully.

Becky stalked out of the bathroom. She noticed a guy going in, and he gave her a weird look. Like a "what-the-hell-were-you-doing-in-the-dudes'-bathroom" kinda look. She grinned, sweatdropping, and held up a hand. "Ha-ha, just looking for my little cousin!"

She hurried back to the theater. "Man," she murmured, "if that guy had come in just two minutes earlier…"

**(1) - "oji-san" is Japanese for "uncle". :)**

_**Preview of Chapter 23…**_

_**-xxx-**_

_Nancy poked her head into the living room. "See? He's over legal age, and **he** likes **his** mother."_

"_That's because this family is amazingly jacked up," Becky said, leaning her head against Yuki's shoulder. Yuki accommodated her and began to play with her hair._

"_Rebecca." Nancy crossed her arms, jerking her head toward the kitchen. "I need your help."_

"_Ugh." Becky got up, untangling her fingers from Yuki's. "Just so you know, Yuki, that's Mom Code for 'I wanna talk to you'."_


	23. Chapter 23

_With these hands, I will seek retribution for injustice done to your family by one of its own members._

By the time everyone was ready to leave, Becky was glad to see that Ritsu had calmed down a little bit. She was fairly sure he was alright to drive, so she didn't say anything as he buckled in. She climbed in the back, behind Kyo and Tohru, beside Yuki. She buckled herself in, and she found it hard to concentrate on anything besides how furious she was at Akito. She was sure that if they were in a cartoon, her face would be red and her ears would be billowing steam by now. She crossed her arms, leaning back in her seat. She hoped that when she told her mother, and Nancy got her hands on him, something _bad_ would happen to him.

"… And I found the end rather emotionally satisfying. The way that Hirohi promised to always love Amiko and his country equally. Don't you think so, Rebecca?"

That was when she noticed that Yuki had been talking to her. She glanced over, flipping her hair without the aid of her hands. "Sorry, Yuki. I spaced out. What were you saying?"

A concerned look overshadowed Yuki's eyes. He reached over, and took her hand in his. "Rebecca, are you alright? You look upset, and you haven't said a word the entire time since you got back with Ritsu-san. Normally, you would be competing with Kyo to see who could… _belch_… the loudest. As your friend and your… date… I'm worried. Is something wrong?"

She looked down, squeezing his hand. "… My mom needs to have a talk with your dad, Yuki."

"About what? Did something happen? You're not feeling ill, are you?"

"No…" Tears welled in her eyes once more. "But… Ritsu… he was wearing a wire. And your father was on the other end."

When she glanced up, she saw that Yuki didn't look at all surprised to hear this news. "You know, that doesn't exactly shock me. He's always doing things like that."

"… Pretty-boy-better-be-ready-to-block-my-fist say _what_?"

"What?" He put up a hand as she tried to hit his face. "Hey!"

"What the hell does he do _that_ for? He just spied on me! Without my knowledge! Which is kind of what spying is, anyway! You know, my mom is gonna punch him in his face when I tell her about this! And then where are we gonna be? It'll just cause a big fight in the whole family! People are gonna take sides, and we'll end up like the Capulets and Montagues, only it'll be the same family! Oh, my God, _Ritsu's gonna be torn between us like Friar Lawrence_!"

"Rebecca. Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca." Yuki took her by the wrist, and her a remorseful look. "I think you're panicking and going to the worst-case scenario. Now, I am going to tell you one thing right now. No matter _what_ happens, I can promise you that we will _not_ end up like anybody in _Romeo and Juliet_. Well… except for maybe Shigure Sensei morphing into a grade-A Mercutio, which is halfway done already, so we don't have to worry about furthering that. Now…" He took her hand in both of his, and closed his eyes. "I will not let anything bad happen to you, _or_ Ritsu-san. I promise, Rebecca."

She wrapped her other hand around his. "… I know, Yuki. Thank you."

-xxx-

Kyo and Tohru burst into the house, happily singing their own rather off-key version of "Because There Is You" by Hey!Say!7 **(1)**. They were followed by Ritsu, who was clearly amused by them, chuckling as he hung up his coat. Ritsu was followed by Yuki, who was leading Becky in by holding her hand. She was still sore about the whole Akito wiring Ritsu issue.

Nancy was in the kitchen, setting the oven timer. She looked back and smiled at them, waving. "Hey, everyone! How was the movie?"

"It was so romantic!" Tohru exclaimed, sailing out of the room with Kyo. "I'm definitely letting you pick next time, Becky-chan!"

Nancy stared after them, then turned to everyone else. "Thanks for taking them, Ritsu-kun! I would have driven you, but I was making lunch for Shigure and Ayame…" Her face turned a bit pink. "Well, mostly all they did was flirt with me, but I _did_ appreciate the attention. I just wish I could have seen my daughter's first date with Yuki, but… I had fun here, and I entertained a couple of good-looking young men."

"Cougar," came Becky's shout from the living room, where she'd gone to sit with Yuki.

"It was no trouble at all! I'm sorry to have burdened your mind, Mrs. Bridges. I… had… fun with all of them." Ritsu waved. "Uh, well… I'm going to go, uh… I'm going to go call my mother! Yes, I bet she'll be happy to hear from me. Oh! I should have called her sooner! I must apologize for not calling her within the last six months-!" He smiled shakily at Nancy. "I'll see you later."

"Bye-bye! You better stick around for dinner, hon, you hear!" Nancy poked her head into the living room. "See? He's over legal age, and _he_ likes _his_ mother."

"That's because this family is amazingly jacked up," Becky said, leaning her head against Yuki's shoulder. Yuki accommodated her and began to play with her hair.

"Rebecca." Nancy crossed her arms, jerking her head toward the kitchen. "I need your help."

"Ugh." Becky got up, untangling her fingers from Yuki's. "Just so you know, Yuki, that's Mom Code for 'I wanna talk to you'."

Yuki nodded. "I understand." He folded his hands in his lap.

"This isn't gonna take long."

"Take all the time you need, Rebecca, Mrs. Bridges."

"Thank you, Yuki." Nancy grabbed Becky by the hand. "And you come here."

Becky followed her mom into the kitchen. "So I bet you're wondering why I'm mad as hell right now."

"I take it you didn't have fun at the movie. Was something wrong with Yuki? He a bad date? Oh, God, he doesn't have sweaty hands, does he?"

"Ma, nothing was wrong with Yuki. He's really one of the nicest guys I've ever met. It was actually Ritsu."

"_Ritsu_? But – what could he possibly have done? He's such a sweet man!"

"Yeah, _he_ is. But somebody else in this house ain't so sugar-and-spice." Becky leaned against the counter. "Look… can I file a complaint about ethics to you?"

"I'll store it away in the Mom Records. What's the matter? What happened?

Becky opened her purse and took out the recorder that Ritsu had been wearing, which he'd given to her shortly before they left. "Akito wired Ritsu so he could hear what we all were saying. He texted the guy, freaking out, when Yuki and I were about to kiss, and told Ritsu to _stop us_ from kissing. Which didn't even work, 'cause I had the guy's phone, but still…"

"You and Yuki kissed?" Nancy was the one freaking out now. "B-But what about the curse? Didn't it hurt?"

"He was… careful. It wasn't too painful… although I do have to apply about half a tube of lip balm later, remind me. But you're missing the big picture here, Ma!" Becky knocked over an empty cup that was on the counter. "Akito _spied_ on me! God, I can't believe that slimy little weasel! It's like he has no heart! – or brain! And he _forced_ Ritsu to do this, threatening that he would cut his hair, take away his kimonos, and call his mom to tell her that Ritsu wasn't behaving! I don't believe this guy! At this rate, I think _Momiji_ or even _Kagura_ would do a better job at being head of the family! And considering Momiji's perkiness and Kagura's ungodly obsession with Kyo, that, my friend, _is saying something_!"

"Rebecca! Rebecca!" Nancy grabbed her by the arm. "Okay, you need to calm down. We have to think rationally about this. Okay, so… yes, Akito did spy on you. So… well… uh…" She twirled a strand of her hair. "Okay. I'll talk to Hatori about it. Akito-sama is his uncle, too, so maybe he can say or do something about it."

"… Hatori is Ritsu's brother?"

"… No. Akito-sama had three brothers. One of them had Hatori, one had Ritsu, and one had Shigure. Only Ayame and Yuki are Akito-sama's sons."

"Ohhhh-kay… well… what about Haru and Kyo?"

"Huh. I'm not sure whose kids they are."

**(1) - This is a great song! Look it up on YouTube, it's so sweet. XD And then imagine Kyo and Tohru singing it... hehehe... I'm so evil...**

_**Preview of Chapter 24…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"_Nance? That you?"_

_Nancy froze at the voice. She peeked back into the living room, but Becky and Yuki were talking, not paying any attention to her. "What on Earth could you possibly want now? And how the hell did you get my number?"_

"_You never changed it. You had that cell number since you got your first phone, and apparently, you were stupid enough not to change it."_

"_What do you want?"_

"_For starters, a divorce. For second, custody."_


	24. Chapter 24

_With these hands, I will receive a call from my own family._

"Rebecca, where's Yuki? He's still not here, and everybody else is eating." Nancy was surveying the breakfast table, fists on her hips. Her lips were set into a straight line, and she looked worried. "I hope he's not still in bed – that would either mean he's sick… or just lazy."

"He's not lazy," Becky replied, taking another bite of her eggs. "And if he were sick… actually, no. I barely know Yuki, but I know one thing, and that thing is that _Yuki_ never gets sick."

Nancy shook her head. "Then the boy probably didn't set his alarm clock."

"Mom, on weekends, _I_ am probably his alarm clock."

"Yeah, well, you have to go back to school tomorrow. So enjoy this last day of freedom."

"Yeah," Becky agreed, picking up her orange juice glass, "before we're once more confined to the prison known as the educational system for eight hours for the next five days."

"Oh, is that how you view school? Then I guess you're washing your own dishes." Nancy turned around, going back into the kitchen. "Ritsu-kun, don't help Rebecca with her dirty dishes!"

"Aw, that ain't fair!" Becky cried. She slumped in her seat and glared at the eggs and bacon still on her plate. "My mom cannot cook in any language besides American. Hey, Ma! I'd like to put in a request for our next meal!"

"What's that?"

"Let Tohru cook it! _I want some sushi for lunch_!"

"I could make stir-fry! Or chop suey!"

"Sushi!"

"You're out of luck! Tohru's going to lunch with Kyo!"

"Ugh!" Becky stabbed a slice of bacon and glared at it. "What are _you_ lookin' at, Porky? Hmmph."

"Good morning, everyone. Sorry I'm late."

Becky turned around and grinned. "Yukiiii!" She got up and almost hugged him, but stopped herself. She settled for just squeezing his arm. "Morning!"

"Heh. I take it you missed me?"

"Just a little bit."

"Sorry, Rebecca. I overslept – for some reason, my alarm didn't go off."

"You actually set your alarm? On a _weekend_?"

"I didn't want you coming and waking me up again."

"Which reminds me…" She smirked. "I got somethin' to tell youuuuuuu…"

"What is it?"

She put him in a headlock, messing up his hair even more than it already was, and cackled. "Bedhead, bedhead! Almost as bad as Kyo's helmet hair!"

"Ow! Hey! R-Rebecca! Please, stop that!"

"Ha-ha, no way, dude!"

-xxx-

Becky trudged down the carpeted stairs Monday morning, not ready to go back to classes at all. Tohru was already out of bed, probably off somewhere with Kyo. "Hey, Ma," she called tiredly. "Can we just say that I was sick today? I'm too tired to go to school…"

All of a sudden, she got to the bottom of the stairs and saw Yuki sitting at the table, talking to her mother. Everybody else had obviously left. She shrieked and her eyes widened. "Yuki! Wh-What… What are you doing here?"

He looked over and gave her a smile. "I thought I'd walk you to school, Rebecca. I mean, after what happened on Friday… I just assumed…" He shrugged. "You've got bedhead of your own this morning."

"Ah!" She tried to push her tangled hair down, out of his view. "Ma!" She ran back up the stairs. "_Why didn't you warn me he was down here_?"

"Payback!" Nancy shouted back gleefully. "You know – _for telling Hatori my real age_!"

"But he wanted to know!"

"You coulda lied and said I was only thirty!"

"You always told me to tell the truth!"

"Since when have you _ever_ listened to me? Go get dressed, girl!"

"_I am_!"

By the time Becky got back down, she was much better groomed. She had brushed her hair and put it in a bun, and dressed in her uniform over a sky blue T-shirt that said "Angelz" in white letters on it and black shorts. "… Sorry about that, Yuki. I didn't know you were here, my hair was a mess, I was in my pajamas…"

"That's alright." He stood up and held out his arm. "Shall we, Miss Bridges?"

She smiled and laced her arm through his. "Let's go, Yuki-kun."

-xxx-

"… But it was totally unfair to drop those bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki," Becky was saying as she walked into the house with Yuki by her side and Tohru and Kyo following. "I mean, American didn't even give them fair warning. Just the Potsdam Ultimatum, and I'm not even sure they gave Japan enough time to fully reach a decision. And they didn't even wait for an answer, I don't think. And it killed way too many people!"

"…" Yuki sighed, sitting down with her on the couch. "You know, Rebecca, all I said was 'Did you know leukemia is referred to as the bomb disease in Hiroshima because the radiation from the bomb dropped during World War II causes it there?' You really didn't have to launch into a morals speech about whether or not they _should_ have dropped the bombs, but thank you. It was quite detailed."

"Oh, get used to _that_," Nancy said with a grin, poking her head in from the kitchen. "Once you get her going, she is harder to stop than a train going 200 miles an hour. Trust me, there was this one time—"

"Don't tell the story, Ma," Becky protested.

"Fine. I'll tell you later, Yuki."

Yuki looked back and forth between the two females. He finally decided that having Nancy mad at him was the lesser of the two evils – if Becky was mad at him, he was screwed. As Hatori had said, Nancy had a hell of an arm, but Becky took after her mother, and her temper was triggered far more easily. "That… won't be… necessary, Mrs. Bridges."

Somebody's phone rang. Both Yuki and Becky checked to see if it was theirs, but Nancy went back into the kitchen. "Sorry, kids, that was mine. Be right back. And I hope you two are hungry, 'cause I made some brownies for you." She went back into the kitchen and picked up her cell phone. "Hello?"

"Nance? That you?"

Nancy froze at the voice. "… Jason?" She peeked back into the living room, but Becky and Yuki were talking, not paying any attention to her. "What on Earth could you possibly want now? And how the hell did you get my number?"

"You never changed it. You had that cell number since you got your first phone, and apparently, you were stupid enough not to change it."

"What do you want?"

"For starters, a divorce. For second, custody."

"Of whom? You've already got Bret. Shouldn't you be content?"

"I want Becks, too. Bret found pictures, and he knows he has a sister now. He's been on my ass about it for the past year since he found the photos. I want her to come live with me and Bret in Nebraska."

"Fat chance. We settled this twelve years ago. There isn't any need to drag it into court."

"First, I wanna talk to my daughter. See what she thinks about it."

"Jason, you have not cared about that girl since she was four. She is _sixteen_ now, and I'm not all that sure she likes you."

"Well, I heard you guys moved. To _Japan_. I just think she'd like it better back in the good old U.S."

"She loves Japan, Jason. In fact, she found a boyfriend. Okay?"

"Damn it… fine." Nancy covered the phone and gestured Becky into the kitchen, and she came. "Uh, Rebecca… it's for you."

"Who is it?" she asked, taking the phone.

"The man who has enough gall to call himself your father. I'm going to go talk to Hatori for a second. I'll be right back. I don't want you to yell at him – go easy." With that, she left.

Becky brought the phone up to her ear. She didn't quite know what to expect of this. After all, she hadn't seen her father in almost over twelve years. He could have changed completely. "… Daddy?"

_**Preview of Chapter 25…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"_I'll, uh, I'll think about it. Yeah. I'm not saying… definitely… but I'll give it some thought, Daddy."_

"_Alright, baby girl. See you soon. And listen… I wanna meet this boyfriend of yours. I wanna make sure he's gonna treat you right. Y'know, make sure he's on the up-and-up. Make sure he's __**clean**__."_

_Becky rolled her eyes, already feeling tears in them. "Yeah…" And this coming from the man who probably now ran a crackhouse. He'd been hooked on drugs for roughly fifteen years, as her mother had told her – started shortly after Becky had been born, actually. Two years later, he was clean, then Bret was born, and it started all over again. That was why they'd gotten divorced._

_But maybe she hadn't even divorced him at all. The way this conversation was going, she didn't believe now that Nancy had been telling her the truth. Her parents were still legally husband and wife._


	25. Chapter 25

_With these hands, I will promise to be here with you always._

The voice that met Becky's ears was one she barely recognized. She had only been four years old when her father had left her family, but she remembered his voice just vaguely. It was raucous, but softer than most. She could tell that now he was at least a little drunk. Feh, she should have expected that. He hadn't changed at all. "Hey, baby girl. How ya doin'?"

Becky twirled a loose strand of her hair. "Fine, Dad. How… are you and Bret?"

"We're good, good. It's great over here in Omaha. So, uh… you guys moved to Kaibara, Japan, huh?"

"Yeah. It's nice."

"And your mom tells me you got a special guy friennnnd."

"Uh…" Becky raised an eyebrow. Had Nancy really told her father that she had a boyfriend? Maybe she had lied; she was probably thinking/talking about Yuki. "Yeah. Yeah, I had a boyfriend in Tampa, but we didn't work out and now I have a boyfriend here." She decided to mimic being an airhead. "He's, like, sooooo dreamy and stuff."

"Huh. I see. Good for you. So, uh, baby… Bret knows about you now."

Becky's eyes widened. She and Bret had barely known each other. She would have thought he'd forgotten about her by now. She never figured that her father had told Bret about her. "Really?"

"Yep. He really wants to meet you."

"You don't say." Suddenly Becky didn't like where this conversation was headed, because it looked like it was headed down a very dark road.

"Yeah. So me and your mom were talking, and we were thinking about getting a divorce. I'm going to file… and you can move out here with me. How would you like that? Living in Nebraska?"

Becky just stood there, shocked, for a moment. First of all… getting a divorce? Her parents were already divorced! … Weren't they? And second of all… was he asking her to come and live with him and Bret in _Omaha_? Most Boring City USA, second only to Yakima, Washington? **(1)** What the hell! Of course she didn't want to move there! She wanted to stay here with her mother, and Yuki, and Tohru, and Kyo, and everybody! Even though she'd only been here a week, and even if some of the people in this house were pains in the ass **(2)**, or punks **(3)** or emotional basket cases **(4)**, this was her home now. She liked it here – better than Florida, at least. And a whole _hell_ of a lot better than Omaha. There were only better things to come. But those things wouldn't happen if she got moved out to Nebraska. "Um… um, actually, I'm really happy here in Kaibara. I found a bunch of new friends. I didn't even care about leaving Florida. I-It was too hot there, anyway. But… But you know what? I'll, uh, I'll think about it. Yeah. I'm not saying… definitely… but I'll give it some thought, Daddy."

"Alright, baby girl. See you soon. And listen… I wanna meet this boyfriend of yours. I wanna make sure he's gonna treat you right. Y'know, make sure he's on the up-and-up. Make sure he's _clean_."

Becky rolled her eyes, already feeling tears in them. "Yeah…" And this coming from the man who probably now ran a crackhouse. He'd been hooked on drugs for roughly fifteen years, as her mother had told her – started shortly after Becky had been born, actually. Two years later, he was clean, then Bret was born, and it started all over again. That was why they'd gotten divorced.

But maybe she hadn't even divorced him at all. The way this conversation was going, she didn't believe now that Nancy had been telling her the truth. Her parents were still legally husband and wife.

"Bye, Daddy."

"Bye, Becks. See you soon, sweetie."

Becky hung up, and placed her mother's phone on the table. She walked into the living room, already knowing the tears were running down her face. Yuki was sitting on the couch, flipping through channels on TV. He looked up when she came back into the room. "So who was on the…" He stopped, and made a noise like he was surprised or worried. "Rebecca, what's wrong? Who was that?"

She dropped down beside Yuki, and just stared straight ahead. "… Yuki…" She looked over at him. "That was my dad."

"… What? But you said he…"

She put her head on his shoulder, and started to cry. "Yuki, I don't think my parents are divorced! M-My dad said that… that he was talking to my mom about _getting_ a divorce! That would mean they're still together – I mean, estranged, but _together_! She's been lying to me, for the past twelve years of my life!" Her chest heaved with sobs as she let herself go. "A-And to make things worse, he wants custody of _me_! He wants me to move out to Nebraska with him and Bret! _I don't wanna go to Nebraska_! Do you have any idea what it is _like_ in Nebraska? It's like prison – it ain't _fun_! I wanna stay here with you and Tohru and Kyo and Ritsu and Momiji and Hatori and Shigure and Ayame and – and—" She Decided to just collapse in his lap, weeping. "_I don't wanna leave_!"

After a moment, she felt Yuki's hand on her back and hair. Humming softly, he caressed her hair and rubbed little circles in her back. His fingers moved tenderly and expertly over the concealed skin of her back, twisting themselves in her hair and then freeing themselves just as easily. His other hand found its way to hers, their fingers intertwining. His humming became louder as he lifted her hair up and moved his calming touch to her neck, pushing her sleeves down a bit to spread it to her shoulders, as well. He quietly sung a few bars of a familiar, soothing song.

"_Strumming my pain with his fingers… singing my life with his words… killing me softly with his song… killing me softly… with his song…_" **(5)**

His singing faded, and he held her as close as he was able without hugging her and triggering the curse. "… Rebecca, you know I'll always be here for you. I am not going to let you leave without a fight. I promise you this. I will always protect you with my life – from _anything_ that threatens you. I know we haven't known each other very long at all… but I care about you. I feel as if…"

"As if you've known me your whole life?" She nestled into his chest.

"Yes. How… did you know?"

"… That's how I feel every time I'm with you, Yuki. And I can honestly say that I never experienced this feeling with Mike. I feel… like I can tell you anything, like… like nothing I could ever tell you is going to matter to you. Like nothing can change how you see me. Nothing can ruin our feelings, our friendship, for each other."

"I know." He rubbed her back lightly. "Now… I need you to promise _me_ something."

"Anything. What is it?"

"Promise me you won't ever leave. That you'll always be here."

"… I promise, Yuki. You should know me well enough by now. I mean… we've been friends for a week!"

**(1) – I don't mean to offend anybody who lives in Omaha or Yakima or Nebraska or anything. XD Just the first cities that came to mind. Sorry if I offend anyone!**

**(2) – that would be Akito.**

**(3) – Kyo and Hatsuharu!**

**(4) – And of course… RITSU!**

**(5) – Song is "Killing Me Softly", and my favorite version is by Lori Lieberman.**

_**Preview of Chapter 26…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"_I knew you would be happier if you thought your father and I were divorced! We settled this out of court, there was no need to get a legal divorce! You and Bret were so much better off living in a fantasy! I didn't want you to have to accept __**this**__ reality!"_

"_What? That you're still married and trying to get freaky with someone? That is called having an affair, Ma! I may not care about Daddy, but nobody deserves to be cheated on!"_

"_We're not together anymore! We agreed never to speak to each other again!"_

"_Well, that obviously didn't work, Ma!"_

"_I only did what was best for you!"_

"_By __**lying**__ to me? What, did you think I would never find out?"_


	26. Chapter 26

_With these hands, I will help you talk to your family._

Becky decided to just sit there with Yuki for the rest of the night. People would come in, maybe say hi or ask them how they were doing, but for the most part they were ignored. Becky sat with her head on Yuki's shoulder, Yuki's head resting on top of hers. There was a slight gap in between their legs, and that was where their hands enjoyed a repose together. Mostly they just looked at the TV, but neither of them were really paying attention to it. They were really just sitting there with their thoughts.

"Rebecca."

Becky looked up at her friend, blinking tiredly. "Huh?"

"… Don't you think we should tell your mother about this? And talk to her about the whole… you know… the fact that she and your father are legally still married? You're upset about it… and perhaps talking to her… it might make you feel a little bit better. From what I've seen and read about, it seems like… when you're having trouble with your parents… the best thing to do is talk to them… and then everyone feels better. There might be some yelling… sure… and crying, definitely… but it usually all ends with a smile."

Becky shook her head, squeezing Yuki's hand tighter. "Yuki, what do you mean… what you've seen and read about? You mean you've… you've never had those moments with your own family? Ever?"

He looked down and gave her a sad smile. "Well… after all… you know my father, don't you? He's not the type who takes kindly to his child wanting to talk to him. And my mother…" He let out a deep sigh. "My mother never… really… she doesn't exactly… I don't know how to describe her. To be honest with you, I don't… think she ever wanted children. Ayame and I were just… mistakes. She didn't mean to have us. She really doesn't care about us. She was glad to be rid of us once Akito offered to let us stay here. I'm not really sure where she is now, and… honestly? I don't really care. She never loved us. She practically hated Ayame… didn't even come and make me feel better when I was sick… so no. I've never had those kind of moments."

"That must be awful." Becky read over and placed her free hand on Yuki's leg, twisting her body so that she could do so. "To know that your parents don't care about you. But listen… I went through that with my dad. You know? I mean, he left when I was four. That was bad enough. And then, he didn't even care about me enough to tell my own brother about me. Bret just now found out last year that he has a sister. I'm… pretty sure he never cares about me, and he's…" She took in a breath, and slowly let it out to prevent herself from getting all worked up again. She didn't like crying in front of Yuki. "As long as we're telling the truth here, I don't think he really wants custody of me because he loves me and wants me with him. He's doing this to get back at my mom… I mean, there must have been some times they really did love each other, but… I don't think…" She shook her head again. "I don't think Bret and I were the products of love. I think we were the products of red wine and Rod Stewart." She rubbed his leg, mostly just trying to keep herself calmed down by doing _something_ with her hands. "Nothing more."

"I don't believe that." Yuki put his free hand on top of hers that was rubbing his leg, and ran his thumb over the back of it. "Rebecca, forgive my saying so, but… how dare you speak of yourself in that manner. Do you really think that's all you are? Do you think you don't matter? Because you matter. You matter to a lot of people, and a lot of people would feel empty if you didn't exist. That feeling would extend to Honda-san… Ritsu… Ayame… Kyo, even… and me. I would feel like I was missing something. You're a wonderful friend to myself and Honda-san, and… also Kyo, though I hate to admit he and I have something in common… you're the only person besides Honda-san who is _ever_ nice to Ritsu… you're an inspiration to Ayame. But most of all… how do you think your mother would feel if you weren't here? To her, you're not just… alcohol plus love song equals a child she has to take care of. She loves you, and I know that she does. She goes out of her way for you, and I can see that you do the same for her whenever you can." He closed his eyes, and tightened his grip around her hand a little bit. "As much as I don't want to admit it, our lives are just that much better with you around. I'm glad you and your mother chose this city to come to. I will do everything in my power to make sure your father returns to Nebraska with only one child, and that it is Bret. I will exhaust every resource I have to keep you here. You need to stay." He let go of both of her hands. "Now would you like me to go get your mother?"

Becky nodded, sliding her hand off of his thigh. "… Yes, please."

"Alright. I'll be right back."

As Yuki left, Becky thought about what she would say. She wasn't quite sure how to get the conversation started. "My dad who you're still technically married to wants me to come live with him in the most boring place in the universe" might get the job done, but that was a little too on the nose. Then again, she didn't want to beat around the bush.

She didn't have a lot of time to think, though, because Yuki came back shortly – with her mother. "Please, sit down," Yuki offered, placing himself on one side of Becky.

Nancy sat down on the other side. "So, uh, Rebecca… what did your father have to say?"

"Well, um… h-he said that, uh… he wants me to come and live with him and Bret. In Omaha. Nebraska. The most dry, lifeless city on the planet. And I said I'd think about it."

"Oh, good, good… okay. And…? What do you think?"

"Ma, do you seriously think I wanna go and live with _them_?"

"… No, I would suppose not. But you know yourself better than I do."

"By the way, Ma… he said something about… getting a divorce with you. He said he was going to file for it." This was the longest she had ever held in her anger without yelling, and she hoped she wouldn't have to do it much longer. She _needed_ to yell right now.

Nancy's face paled and she dug her fingers into the sofa. "H-He… He did?" She shook her head. "Rebecca, we can't talk about this with Yuki here…"

"I know everything, Mrs. Bridges," Yuki assured her. "You two don't have to hold anything back."

"Yeah, Ma." Becky clenched her fists. "Okay, you've been lying to me for, like, twelve years! You guys are still _married_! How can you be married and want to go after men? I don't believe you! What could you _possibly_ have to gain from that?"

"Rebecca, it was not my choice to make! I knew you would be happier if you thought your father and I were divorced! We settled this out of court, there was no need to get a legal divorce! You and Bret were so much better off living in a fantasy! I didn't want you to have to accept _this_ reality!"

"What? That you're still married and trying to get freaky with someone? That is called having an affair, Ma! I may not care about Daddy, but nobody deserves to be cheated on!"

"We're not together anymore! We agreed never to speak to each other again!"

"Well, that obviously didn't work, Ma!"

"I only did what was best for you!"

"By _lying_ to me? What, did you think I would never find out?"

"Rebecca, I did what I had to do! I had to get us away from Jason! For God's sake, the man was doing drugs and smoking around you kids, not to mention the alcohol abuse on top of that! You were _three God-damn years old_ when he started getting back on that stuff, Rebecca, and Bret was only a _year_ old! You know, all that secondhand smoke is probably the reason you almost died from pneumonia five years ago! If I could have gotten you both outta there, I would! But if I was going to get _either_ of you away, I had to settle it with him! I chose you because you were my firstborn, I never regret my choice, and I took you away!" By this time, Nancy was full-out crying, and she had her face in her hands. "It kills me that Bret is still there, being exposed to all that, but I _am_ glad that I got you out! I just didn't want to do this in court, because I knew I was going to lose at least one of you to him! If we did that, I wouldn't get to choose and you might _both_ be with your father! I wanted to take _you_ with me… I couldn't let _you_ end up like him! It was the hardest choice I've ever had to make… but I chose you! I'm sorry I never told you, but I knew that if I did, all you would do was get upset, and I – I was afraid that would make you want to go with him!"

Becky felt like her heart had been ripped out. She couldn't believe her mother did this because she had just been trying to protect _her_. She was reminded of when Ritsu had spied on her for Akito. He was only trying to protect her, too. Yuki had promised to protect her with his _life_. She buried her own face in her hands, and began to sob. She just didn't understand why anybody would go to such lengths for her.

After a few seconds, she felt Yuki put his arm around her shoulder. "She's gone, Rebecca… she left. Would you like me to go after her?"

"Sh-She'll calm down… I-I just…" She coughed, and leaned in to his chest, clutching his shirt. "W-Why does everybody _care_ so much about me?"

She felt Yuki rubbing her back. "… Because you're precious to us. You do whatever you have to for those who are precious to you, right? Don't… we're not doing this because we have to, Rebecca." He kissed the top of her head very lightly, and she felt it burn, but she didn't focus on it right now. "We want to keep you safe." He took her hand, and squeezed it gently. "… Come on, we should get to bed."

_**Preview of Chapter 27…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"_I just figured… I'd like to talk. Would you?"_

"_I guess. I came to get some water."_

"_So did I. I'll get it for you, you just sit down." He carefully pushed down on her shoulders, gesturing her to the chair. "I think I can manage getting water."_

"_Yeah, you can… after you __**burned cornflakes**__ yesterday morning." She snatched a glass from the cabinet. "I don't want burned water."_

"_You know, first of all," Yuki commented, turning on the faucet, "it isn't possible to burn water. Well… I suppose you could probably scald it, or boil it away to nothing, but you can't __**burn**__ it."_

"_And I didn't think it was possible to burn cornflakes, either. You know, when you don't have to do anything but pour them in the bowl and drizzle some milk over 'em. However, it seems that every day I know you, I am learning a new fact. Like… if you ever say you are going to cook, I am to take the pot, pan, ladle, toaster, microwave, or oven-slash-stove away from you and keep it with me until you think about what you've done."_


	27. Chapter 27

_With these hands, I will relate to you._

Becky started awake, feeling a jolt in her chest. She blinked and glanced at the TV, which was turned on at a very low volume. Tohru kept it on all night, since she said that when she woke up, it helped ease her back to sleep. It was, however, doing nothing for Becky's insomnia. She waited for a little while, her eyes closed and lying down, but she couldn't get back to sleep. Whatever was on the TV wasn't interesting to her, at least not at the moment.

She looked over at Tohru, and saw that her friend was sleeping. She sighed, shaking her head. She swore, that girl could sleep through anything. If a marching band came in here in the middle of the night, she wouldn't even stir, just stay asleep. Becky tossed the covers off, at first wincing and shuddering at how cold it was without them, and got up. She walked around pacing for a minute, but she didn't feel any more tired. Maybe some water would help? If she could just navigate her way to the kitchen through this place…

She shuffled out of the room, making sure not to wake Tohru (as if that was possible), and tried to smooth down her hair. She was surprised at how quiet this place was at – she glanced at a clock in the hall – two-thirty in the morning. There was no sound, save for her footsteps on the carpet, which weren't that loud at all. (Hee-hee, unlike that song "Cooler Than Me" by Mike Posner – "_when your steps make that much noise_!") It was actually kind of… nice. Serene.

Becky pushed her bangs behind her ears and walked into the kitchen. She flipped the light switch, and almost shrieked when she saw Yuki. He was in the cupboard, reaching into it for something. "Y-Yuki!"

Yuki started, then looked over. "Oh… Rebecca. I-I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

"No… I'm fine. I'm good. But, uh… funny question. Since you live at Shigure's house… what are you doing in the _main_ house kitchen at two-thirty in the morning?"

"Same as you, it looks like. Couldn't sleep."

"… And… why _this_ kitchen? Why not just go to Shigure's kitchen?"

"If I may be so blunt… I was hoping I would see you. I just figured… I'd like to talk. Would you?"

"I guess. I came to get some water."

"So did I. I'll get it for you, you just sit down." He carefully pushed down on her shoulders, gesturing her to the chair. "I think I can manage getting water."

"Yeah, you can… after you _burned cornflakes_ yesterday morning." She snatched a glass from the cabinet. "I don't want burned water."

"You know, first of all," Yuki commented, turning on the faucet, "it isn't possible to burn water. Well… I suppose you could probably scald it, or boil it away to nothing, but you can't _burn_ it."

"And I didn't think it was possible to burn cornflakes, either. You know, when you don't have to do anything but pour them in the bowl and drizzle some milk over 'em. However, it seems that every day I know you, I am learning a new fact. Like… if you ever say you are going to cook, I am to take the pot, pan, ladle, toaster, microwave, or oven-slash-stove away from you and keep it with me until you think about what you've done."

Yuki chuckled, filling his glass up. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw the lightest dusting of pink on his cheeks. "You know, you should be a comedian." He walked his fingers up her arm, making her shiver at the contact – especially because his hands were cold. "I know I can't cook. Why make me feel worse about it?" He lightly nuzzled her cheek with his, then sat down at the table.

"Because it's one of the funnest things in the world," Becky replied, sitting down on the other side of him. "I do believe it's only second to calling Kyo a big old chicken-cat."

He shook his head, taking a few sips of his water. "So, Rebecca… your mother mentioned, in her long-winded and oddly touching monologue earlier… that you almost died from pneumonia a few years ago." He placed his glass in front of him, wrapping both hands around it. "I was just… wondering what happened with all that."

She sighed before taking a long gulp of her own water. "I was eleven years old. I played out in the rain too long… you know, just running around, trying to catch the drops in my hands and on my tongue like a normal kid horsing around in a downpour. And the… next thing I knew… the next day…" She looked at her glass, and her eyes flickered to Yuki's for a fraction of a second, as if comparing them. "I was in the hospital, with this mask over my face." She shook her head. "I could barely breathe for, like, at least three days. My mom had her laptop, and she worked from home, so she could be right there with me. But I was… I was so afraid." She rubbed her arm, trying to warm herself and also attempting to distract herself from crying. "There were times that I was gasping for breath, and I got so scared. I had to work so hard to get every breath. I thought I was done for. There was one time I couldn't breathe for an entire minute, and after I got in a breath, I looked over at me mom… and I asked her, 'Am I going to die?' And she looked at me with tears and, like, this determination in her eyes, and she told me no, I was going to be fine." She took a deep breath. "You know that phrase… 'scared to death'? I was so scared… if I didn't think the pneumonia would kill me, I would have thought I'd die of fear." She placed a hand on her chest. "And my mom said earlier… I guess she thinks that my dad smoking around me must have… weakened my lungs so that I did almost die from that. But obviously, I didn't – if I had, I would not be alive and kickin' right now. And I sure as hell am."

Yuki reached over and slid a hand on top of hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Thank God for penicillin."

"Yeah. I mean, when it started to work… I knew I was going to be okay."

"Well…" He looked down. "I can certainly relate to that… the weak lungs? I know about that."

"You do?" She perked up. Yuki didn't seem at all like the kind of person who would suffer from something like that.

"Yeah." He put a hand on his own chest. "I was born with extremely weak bronchial tubes. Really bad asthma, basically. For most of my childhood… I had to be kept away from everybody else. When I got sick, it was… to put it simply, not pretty at all. Even if I just got a cold, it could turn out to be life-threatening for me. A lot of my time was spent in my room… alone. I barely even knew I had a brother." He pushed some bangs out of his eyes. "I was always by myself, and there wasn't a lot for me to do. I was usually bored out of my mind." He rubbed his eyes, and it looked like he was holding back a yawn. "And anyway… I mean, the attacks happened a lot when I was younger. They still happen sometimes… but not as much. Usually only when I come in contact with my triggers or anything. I've done a fairly good job of avoiding them." He smiled, closing his eyes. "Ayame. My God, _Ayame_. We barely knew each other when we were little, and now he's trying to make up for it. He's so dramatic. I love him, I really do… he's my _brother_, for God's sakes, how could I not?... but sometimes, he's just a bit too much."

"Aw, I love him," Becky giggled. "He's such a big, old ham. Him and Shigure both. And don't even get me started on Ritsu-san. I swear, he has _got_ to change. And Haru-kun is so nice… Kyo's okay. I mean, we fight, but I know he's just a big softie for me. Well, for everybody, really." She shook her head, a grin already working its way up into her face. "I think the only person here I _don't_ like is Akito… mainly because of the fact that he spied on me."

Yuki traced over her fingers with his, listening to her intently but also focusing on his small task. **(1)** "So, then… what are you saying, Rebecca?"

"Aw, Yuki!" Not caring at the moment, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "I love your crazy-ass family and I don't ever wanna leave!"

_Poof_. There was little rat Yuki, lying on his stomach on the table. He squeaked at her, waving his little fist.

Becky laughed, scooping him up. "Yay, you turned into a rat! You're so cute as a rat!"

Yuki rolled his eyes, and just fell onto his back in her hands, obviously exhausted and fed up with her "unique" brand of what she called humor.

**(1) – Wow. Yuki's kind acting like L from Death Note, doing that. You know, listening to you but also completely focused on something else? Man… kinda creepy, actually. XD**

**I beg of you, people – review! Anyone who's reading or faving or putting this on alert, please review! Recently I've only been receiving reviews from one person. I mean, that's okay… better than okay, really cuz I know at least one person is still reading… but more reviews make me want to update far faster! (Not sure HOW much faster it's humanly possible to update, but whatever.) I love getting reviews. I appreciate everybody who's reading and faving and stuff, but reviews make me happyyyyyyy~**

**We're slowly creeping up on Chapter 35, where I have a special surprise for everybody. If you're thinking like an author, you may know what my surprise is… but don't review guessing! Please! If you guess right and other people read that review then they'll KNOW. They'll totally KNOW. XD**

**Well, here's the preview, enjoy!**

_**Preview of Chapter 28…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"_You know, Nancy-chan, you look so familiar. I think I've seen you somewhere before." He leaned his chin on his hand, with his elbow on the table._

"_Really? Where?"_

_He gave her a flirtatious smile. "In my __**dreams**__ last night."_

"_Oh!" Nancy giggled, putting a hand in front of her mouth. "Really, Shigure-kun! You know what you are?"_

"_Oh, do tell me, my sweet little flower."_

_Nancy bonked him over the head with a rolled-up newspaper. "In the immortal words of Elvis Presley, you ain't nothin' but a hound dog!"_

"_Ow… H-Hari was right, you __**do**__ have quite the arm. Ever considered being a baseball pitcher?"_


	28. Chapter 28

_With these hands, I will catch you when you fall._

Becky walked tentatively into the kitchen the next morning to find her mother helping Tohru make breakfast. She wrung her hands, debating on what to say or do. Nancy had probably already talked to Tohru about the last night, and what they'd argued about. More than likely also what her father had said to her. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, not at all sure what to say. She never had been good at this sort of thing.

All of a sudden, Tohru turned around, and she saw Becky. She smiled and waved. "Oh, good morning, Becky-chan! Did you sleep well?" She put a hand on Nancy's shoulder. "Look, Mrs. Bridges, it's Becky-chan!"

Nancy turned around and looked at her daughter. Her fingers tightened on the stack of plates that she was holding. Her teeth bit down lightly on her lip, and her green eyes bore into Becky's own.

Becky squirmed in her pajamas under her mother's hard gaze. She twisted her too-long sleeves and swallowed, uneasy. She was reminded of that phrase she always saw in books, "the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife". Becky could definitely cut the tension with a knife… had she possessed one at the moment.

She could tell her mother wasn't so sure what to say, either.

She stepped forward, and took a breath. "Ma… I'm really, really, _really_ sorry about last night. I-I was just… really angry about what Dad told me. I thought you guys were divorced, and…" She shook her head.

"Rebecca, I was mad, too." Nancy put the plates down on the table. "I was furious that your father would dare to tell you about that. He knew that you didn't know." She pushed her hair out of her face and issued a deep sigh. "As clueless as he is, I didn't think he would be cruel enough to try and cause a rift between us."

"Ma, he was _drunk_ when he walked to me."

Nancy nodded. "Yes, I could tell he was either drunk or stoned during that phone call."

Becky felt tears in her eyes. "M-Ma… I don't wanna go!" She ran over to her mother and wrapped her arms around her. "I don't wanna move to Nebraska! I wanna stay here with you and Tohru-chan and Yuki and Haru and Ritsu and Ayame and Shigure and Momiji and Kyo and everybody! I don't wanna live with him and Bret! It's better with you and my friends! He doesn't even _care_ about me, and I know it! Please don't let him take me! I can't live with him!"

"Rebecca…" Nancy squeezed her daughter tightly, holding her close. Neither of them even minded that Tohru was in the room, watching them closely and smiling. "I promise you right now that if I can do anything about it, you will _not_ end up with him. I will keep you right here by my side, and you won't ever have to leave your friends. We'll stay right here forever."

Becky forced herself not to cry. She just hugged her mother and took deep breaths to keep herself calm. "I know, Ma, I know. Thank you so much. Just – thank you for always taking care of me. For being there when I needed you. I know you give up so much for me… and most of the time I don't show that I appreciate it at all. But…" She could _feel_ her voice cracking. "I do, Ma, I do. I'm sorry for all this."

Nancy held Becky close, rubbing her back and running her other hand down the back of her blonde head. "I'm sorry, too, Rebecca. If I had just told you when you were old enough to understand… oh, we wouldn't have gotten into a fight. I should have told you."

"M-Ma…" Becky's body shook as she let out a bitter giggle. "Did you tell Daddy that Yuki was my boyfriend?"

"Oh…" Nancy laughed through her tears. "Don't worry, Rebecca. Everything is going to be fine, sweetheart. Everything's gonna be fine."

-xxx-

Walking to history class with Yuki, and sitting down and receiving a study guide for the upcoming test on World War II, Becky couldn't help but feel the happiest she had in days. This was probably the best she'd felt since the previous Friday. And when Yuki turned around to work on the guide with her, she felt her heart soar. He really did care about her; she could see that. "So, Yuki," she remarked, tapping her pencil on the desk. "What, uh… what's the answer to number four?"

"Hmm, I think you know that one. Didn't you answer it in class last week after you sent me those frightening messages and before you slapped me in the face?"

She giggled. "I'm sorry about that, Yuki." She reached over and brushed his cheek with two fingers. "I think the mark's gone, though." She blinked. "You _do_ forgive me for that, right?"

"Of course. What kind of a friend would I be if I never forgave you?"

"A stupid one, who would get slapped many more times."

"Exactly."

When the bell rang, Yuki had to be one of the first ones out of the room, since his next class was upstairs. He tapped Becky on the nose and left quickly, while she was still gathering her things. "I'll see you at lunch, Rebecca!"

"Can't wait!"

Becky took her sweet time gathering her stuff together, since her next class wasn't far. She walked out the door, happy-go-lucky and ready to attend English. However, waiting for her outside the door was… practically the entire Yuki Sohma Fan Club. The girl who obviously headed the club stepped up from the middle. "Reba Bridges, right?"

"It's _Rebecca_."

"Like I care. Look, we have noticed that you're spending a lot of time with Prince Yuki."

"Yeah. My mom and I live at his house now." Becky glared, doing her best to look intimidating. "What of it, Malibu Barbie?"

"Well, as you may have realized, only girls in the fan club can spend _any_ time with Prince Yuki. And that's still ignoring the fact that you _hit_ him."

"Okay, chick, could you not beat around the bush any more? I've got a class to go to, and I'm thinkin' you guys do, too."

"Look, I just wanna say one thing. And you better have your ears open, because I'm only gonna say this one _thing_ one _time_. You are going to stay away from Prince Yuki. Unless you formally join the club, I don't wanna see you around him again save for classes. And news flash – I'm never gonna let you in. So stay away from him." She walked past Becky, the entire posse following. Then she stopped. "Oh, and if you plan on coming to that dance at the end of the month, I would suggest that you just stay home. If any of us see you at that dance, we're going to have a very special, very humiliating surprise waiting for you." She tossed her hair. "Have a nice day, freak."

Becky decided to ignore the fact that this bimbo had just called her a freak, the word she hated most. After all, she was obviously in some sort of fantasy world, thinking Yuki would like her. She stared after the girls as they left, then raised an eyebrow and shook her head, heading to English. "I think Yuki's fangirls just threatened me."

-xxx-

Nancy placed another plate of onigiri in front of Shigure, rolling her eyes and shaking her head, sweeping her auburn bangs out of her face. "Honestly, Shigure-kun… I don't know _where_ you're putting it all. I would think you'd still be full from lunch. It was just three hours ago."

Shigure grinned at her. He picked up an onigiri and took a bite, then swallowed most of it before speaking to her. "What can I say, Nancy-chan? I love your cooking!" He patted his stomach. "Inspiration for my novel, that's what it is! It's all going to my brain!"

Nancy chuckled. "It's a good thing you have a big brain, then – wouldn't want you to blame me for getting fat after you ate all this."

"You know, Nancy-chan, you look so familiar. I think I've seen you somewhere before." He leaned his chin on his hand, with his elbow on the table.

"Really? Where?"

He gave her a flirtatious smile. "In my _dreams_ last night."

"Oh!" Nancy giggled, putting a hand in front of her mouth. "Really, Shigure-kun! You know what you are?"

"Oh, do tell me, my sweet little flower."

Nancy bonked him over the head with a rolled-up newspaper. "In the immortal words of Elvis Presley, you ain't nothin' but a hound dog!"

"Ow… H-Hari was right, you _do_ have quite the arm. Ever considered being a baseball pitcher?"

Nancy shook her head, still smiling. A loud and obnoxious ringtone echoed through the place. "Whoops. I'll be right back, Shigure-kun. That would be my phone. And with my luck, it's my baby's daddy."

"Oh? Ah, the crusher of hearts, I would presume. With all the gossip floating around here I never really got a straight answer – what is he doing now?"

"Oh, he's busy… divorcing me." She strutted out of the room. "And you had better eat all of those after I went to the trouble to look up that recipe!" She picked up her phone and groaned when she saw that the number was from Omaha, Nebraska. Stupid Jason again, probably still wanting to claim custody of Becky. She flipped the phone open. "What is it now, Jason?"

"Can't I talk to my baby girl?"

"She isn't home yet. She should be soon."

"Ah, well. I have to go _soon_… so I guess you'll have to give her a message for me."

"And what would that be?" Nancy tapped her foot impatiently. "Well, come on, spit it out. I've got the stove on."

"Uhh…" There was a belch on the other end.

Nancy held the phone away from her ear, disgusted. She held it back. "Just as charming as I remember. Now what do you want me to tell Rebecca?"

"Oh, that. Yeah. Well, good news for everyone! I'm coming to Kaibara. I'll be there next Thursday, and I've set an appointment with the court in Kaibara. That Saturday, you and I will be in divorce court. If all goes well and we get divorced, which we probably will, then the next Monday, Becks and I guess her guy will be in court with us, deciding who gets custody. Which reminds me, I'd also like to meet her special guy friend. Ah, well, I gotta go. Tell her for me and be a doll, will ya, Nance? Later." The line went dead.

Almost not believing it, Nancy shut her phone and placed it back on the counter. It was like she was floating, not feeling her feet, as she walked back into the dining room. She sat down at the table and pressed a hand to her head, mostly wondering what she was going to do about all this. How was she going to tell her daughter?

Her face must have been pale, because Shigure looked alarmed. "Nancy-chan, what's the matter? You're as white as a sheet, and you look like you've seen a ghost! Who was that on the phone? What did they say?"

She looked up at him, blinking and shaking her head slowly. "My husband is coming."

"Oh, my… this is going to turn into a complicated, ugly mess, isn't it?"

"Oh, Lord, I _hope_ that's as bad as it gets."

Becky chose this moment to come strolling through the door with the three Sohma teens, holding hands with Yuki. "Hi, Ma! Hi, Shigure-san! Whoooaaaa, Ma, what's the matter?"

Nancy looked up and locked eyes with her daughter. "Your father is coming here. Next Thursday. That Saturday, he's divorcing me. The Monday after that, you're going to be in court, and I'm going to be fighting for custody of you."

Becky's eyes widened. "Oh, my God…"

"Rebecca, are you alright?" Yuki put a hand on her shoulder. "Here, I think you should go lie down…"

"Uhhh…" Without any warning, Becky stumbled backward. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed.

Yuki managed to catch her, with Shigure instantly rushing forward to help him. "Rebecca!" Yuki cried. He looked up. "Shigure Sensei, can you call Hatori-san? I think we need him over here."

"I'm on it!" Shigure ran to the phone. "Hold on, Rebecca-chan! The cavalry's comin'!"

Yuki carefully picked Becky up in both arms. His chest felt tight when he saw her like this, and he had a strange feeling that it wasn't his asthma acting up.

… Why was she the only one who could make him feel like this?

_**Preview of Chapter 29…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"_My dad wants to meet my boyfriend. And as you know, I am, at the moment, boyfriendless. However… I need a favor from you."_

"_Something tells me this is going to be the most devious idea you've cooked up yet. Ah, well… besides your fantasizing about giving Ritsu a mental breakdown."_

_She brought his hands to the middle of her chest, pressing them to her collar bone and giving him a classic puppy-dog face. "Yuki-kun…"_

"_Mmm-hmm. Look, Rebecca, don't you give me those silly puppy-dog looking eyes and just expect me to be putty in your hands."_

"_Is that what you think I do, Yuki-kun? That hurts…"_

_He groaned. "Alright, what do you want?"_


	29. Chapter 29

_With these hands, I will lie for you._

Becky felt the darkness clearing up, giving way to light. She could hear rustling, like somebody moving around, but nobody was talking. She shifted around a little, trying to open her eyes. She felt a cool, damp cloth being pressed against her forehead. It was a welcome sensation, though her skin wasn't exceptionally warm. She slowly opened her eyes, and blinked up at the shape above her. It was a person – obviously. But she couldn't tell who it was. She blinked a couple more times and she could make out the dark hair and gray eyes of Hatori Sohma. "H-Hatori-san?"

He looked down at her. "Oh, good, you're awake." He folded the cloth and set it on her forehead. "I have to say, Rebecca, you gave us quite a scare there, particularly Yuki." He gestured to the rat of the Zodiac, who lie slumped in a chair, dead asleep. "He'll be relieved to know you've woken up. How are you feeling?"

"Better…" She pushed herself up.

"Don't try to sit up yet." Hatori gently pushed her back down. "You're still a little weak. You just fainted on us."

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to worry you guys…"

"In any case, I'm pretty sure you'll be alright. I took your temperature and it's normal, but I figured the cold water wouldn't hurt." He snapped up his black medical bag. "So, then… I do believe I need to go and calm Ritsu down, because he freaked out when he found out you were unconscious. I did speak with your mother, by the way. She seems to know why you fainted." He brushed bangs out of his eyes. "Your father is coming to the city?"

"I guess… what did she say?"

"Well, she gave me the full story. She asked me to tell you when you woke up. She doesn't seem to be too worried, because she knows that the news shocked you. She's out there trying to pacify Ritsu, but by the crying I don't think she's doing such a good job of it. She tells me that Mr. Lincoln told her he made an appointment with the court here in Kaibara. So next Saturday, they're going to the divorce court. Once they get that taken care of, if the judge grants them a divorce, you are going with your mother on Monday to the court for a discussion of custody matters." He snapped his fingers. "Oh! I almost forgot. She also mentioned what a fine mess she'd lied herself into, saying that Mr. Lincoln wants to meet your fictitious boyfriend when he arrives."

"Oh… great." She sighed, pushing the covers off her body. "This sucks. She was thinking of Yuki when she told Daddy that."

"Ohhh, so you and Yuki are an item now."

"No, she was just saying that to make him not want to pick me off Kaibara land and schlep me to Nebraska."

"I see." Hatori stood up. "Well… I, uh… I better go comfort Nancy. I've got a lot of making up to do with that woman, and every brownie point counts." He picked up his bag. "I'll probably also have to inject Ritsu with a sedative." He jerked his head to Yuki. "When he wakes up, you'll probably want to tell him about all of this. Nancy didn't talk to him about it. Well… guess I'll be going now, then." He gave her a smile. "Don't you dare try to get up. I've told Yuki to hold you down if you try to get out of that bed."

Becky giggled. "Thanks, Hatori-san. Bye."

"No problem. It's my job, I'm a doctor. Good-bye." He left, closing the door.

Becky shifted a little. She was bored, even with Yuki in the room. He was asleep, so he wasn't quite helping her to not be bored. "Yuki," she called, as loudly as she was able. "Yuuuuuukiiiiiiii. Hey, wake the hell up, rat boy!" When he didn't stop snoring and wake up, she started to get annoyed. Then she remembered the phrase she used when she'd been trying to wake him up last Saturday, and she grinned evilly. "DON'T YOU MAKE ME GET THAT HOSE, BOY!"

"Ah!" Yuki jolted awake. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. He looked over and once he noticed she was up, he got worked up. "Rebecca! Oh, thank God you're awake!" He hurried over and took her hands. "How are you? Are you feeling better? Dear God, did I _really_ fall asleep? Ah, I'm so lame!"

"Calm down, Yuki." She squeezed his hand. "I'm fine. Just a little… light-headed, is all."

"Oh." He pulled his chair over to the side of the bed and sat down, exhaling sharply. "Well… did Hatori-san speak to you?"

"Yeah."

"And… what did he say?"

"Told me what my mom said my dad said. Real case of 'I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend', huh?" She pushed some of her hair back. "My dad wants to meet my boyfriend." She sighed, biting her lip. "And as you know… I have no boyfriend. I am, at the moment, boyfriendless. However… I need a favor from you."

"Something tells me this is going to be the most devious idea you've cooked up yet. Ah, well… besides your fantasizing about giving Ritsu a mental breakdown."

She brought his hands to the middle of her chest, pressing them to her collar bone and giving him a classic puppy-dog face. "Yuki-kun…"

"Mmm-hmm. Look, Rebecca, don't you give me those silly puppy-dog looking eyes and just expect me to be putty in your hands."

"Is that what you think I do, Yuki-kun? That hurts…"

He groaned. "Alright, what do you want?"

"Could you… maybe… _pretend_ to be my boyfriend? Just while my dad's here. If he finds out my mom was lying, he can use that against her in court and he might get custody of me."

"I wouldn't be telling the truth to the judicial system. Do you know how many years that's worth?"

"Yuki, I doubt they'll call you to the stand and do that 'put your hand on the Bible and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!' thing. This isn't even a trial. It's a custody hearing. _Please_, Yuki? You don't want me to go away, do you?"

He drew their hands back down to rest in her lap. "Well… the only problem I have with pretending to be your boyfriend… is that I'd be lying. But…" He looked up at her, and smiled, just a little. "For you, I will do it."

"Awwww." She grinned. "You'd _lie_ for me. It makes me just wanna hug you! Come here, you little softie, so I can give you a hug and make you morph into a rat again!"

"Ah." He placed his hand on her forehead, his lips turning upward. "No you don't. If I'm going to be your fake boyfriend, you can't do that anymore."

"But Yukiiiiiii…"

"No buts. Now, in return for exposing me to your crazy family… I do expect one thing."

Becky cocked her head to the side. "Hmm? What do you want?"

"I expect you to… forgive me for exposing _you_ to _my_ crazy family."

_**Preview of Chapter 30…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"_Don't do that blonde voice while my dad's here, okay?"_

"_Uh… Rebecca, in case you've not noticed lately, __**you're**__ blonde."_

"_In case __**you**__ haven't noticed, I'm a ditz. And random. And easily distract – hey, where's Ritsu-san?"_

"_Easily distracted," Yuki sighed. "I've certainly noticed __**that**__."_

"_Are they here yet?" Ayame asked, leaning over the couch._

"_Not yet," Becky answered. "They should be soon."_

"_Good," Shigure scoffed. "I'd like to meet the man who broke Nancy-chan's heart and give him what for!"_

"_Careful there, Shigure-san," Becky commented, leaning back. "With your, you know, Fists of Fury and all. You might pull a muscle, and Hatori-san isn't back yet."_

"_Hmmph." Shigure crossed his arms. "And I wonder, Rebecca, what on Earth is going through __**your**__ mind at the moment?"_

"_The sentence 'We are sitting ducks.'"_


	30. Chapter 30

_With these hands, I will do my best to embrace your family._

The next seven days were nothing less than completely and utterly chaotic. Once Nancy made the announcement official, the whole house (minus Akito, who hadn't reared his head since the wire incident) went crazy. Well, crazier than was normal for the Sohma family, at least. Nancy turned all the Sohmas into her little house-cleaning soldiers to prepare for Jason's arrival. One day when Yuki and Becky came home from school, they found the entire living room being rearranged. Shigure and Ayame were carrying boxes, probably filled with stuff Nancy wanted to be kept elsewhere until Jason left, while Nancy herself was assisting Hatori and Ritsu with moving the couch. She was also shouting out orders, and every once in a while barking at Ayame to put his hair in a ponytail because it kept getting caught on everything, and at Shigure to put the pen and paper away, they had work to do. It was at this point that Becky wondered, with a sweatdrop, if her mother was the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler. She decided not, because at least Nancy was actually helping her overworked troops. Hitler wouldn't have done anything but stand there and crack his whip while laughing maniacally and thinking about killing. Nancy rarely thought about killing, and she _never_ laughed maniacally. Her laughs were always _sinister_, never _maniacal_.

Becky decided that the only good thing about those seven days was that she had, by some stroke of luck, managed to scrape up a 90% on the World War II test, which meant she wasn't failing this semester. Hooray.

She was now spending most of her time with Tohru and Yuki. Tohru had offered to coach them on each other's lives and interests. That way, their charade about being a couple would be far more believable. So now, in addition to studying what strategies were used in the Cold War, Becky was now also memorizing what Yuki's favorite bands, songs, and TV shows were. It was like she had nine teachers instead of eight.

… But she did like the fact that both she and Yuki were crazy about the slow version of "In My Arms" by Plumb. **(1)** However, thanks to Tohru, the techno version of the song was now stuck in her head 24/7. **(2)**

Wednesday night was the night before her father was supposed to arrive. The plan was that everyone else would stay home while Nancy and Hatori drove to the airport, picked Jason up, and brought him back to the house. Naturally, Akito wanted no part of his and refused to do anything but stay holed up in his room.

Wednesday night, however, was hard for Becky to get through. She was going to see a father and brother she hadn't seen in almost thirteen years. She didn't know what to expect, save for the memories she had of her father and imagining Bret as a mini version of that. She was a nervous wreck. She woke up in the middle of the night again and went to the kitchen, where Hatsuharu found her crying. Through her mostly incoherent babbling, he managed to collect that she wanted Yuki, so he phoned Shigure's house and called Yuki over. Yuki calmed Becky down, and got her back in bed, then stayed there with her until she fell asleep.

As Becky lie there, Yuki running his hand through her hair and looking at her with a caring gaze, she realized that she couldn't have better friends than the Sohmas and Tohru.

But then, she'd pretty much known that from the moment she'd met them.

-xxx-

Jittery and on edge, Becky was trying to keep herself from losing her mind, which actually she had let go of quite some time ago. She was now waiting for Jason and Bret, as her mother and Hatori had left almost half an hour ago to pick them up, and would probably be back soon. She was sitting on the couch, which was now in the middle of the room instead of against the wall, and she couldn't figure out a way to keep her hands from shaking. Her heart was next to beating out of her chest, and she was so anxious. She hadn't seen her father and brother in twelve years; she really couldn't imagine how they would look or act now.

Yuki came over and sat down by her. "Rebecca." He took her hands in his, and chuckled. "Good Lord, that's the hardest I've ever felt someone's hands shake."

She looked over and glared at him, yanking her hands away. "This isn't funny, Yuki. I'm, like, really nervous."

"Like, I totally know." He said this copying a Valley Girl accent. Maybe he knew a little about American culture. As in… the sunny states had virtually none. **(3)**

Becky forced a little giggle. "Okay, you are funny. But don't do that blonde voice while my dad's here, okay?"

"Uh… Rebecca, in case you've not noticed lately, _you're_ blonde."

"In case _you_ haven't noticed, I'm a ditz. And random. And easily distract – hey, where's Ritsu-san?"

"Easily distracted," Yuki sighed. "I've certainly noticed _that_."

As if by magic, all the adults/mature people gathered in the room. This consisted of Shigure, Ayame, Ritsu, Tohru, Kyo, and Hatsuharu. "Are they here yet?" Ayame asked, leaning over the couch.

"Not yet," Becky answered. "They should be soon."

"Good," Shigure scoffed. "I'd like to meet the man who broke Nancy-chan's heart and give him what for!"

"Careful there, Shigure-san," Becky commented, leaning back. "With your, you know, Fists of Fury and all. You might pull a muscle, and Hatori-san isn't back yet."

"Hmmph." Shigure crossed his arms. "And I wonder, Rebecca, what on Earth is going through your mind at the moment?"

"The sentence 'We are sitting ducks.'"

Yuki rubbed her arm lightly. "Don't worry, Rebecca. Everything's going to be fine."

Not a minute later, after everyone standing around in awkward silence, the door opened. Nancy was the first to come in, followed by Hatori. "In my defense, Sohmas, I asked him to put the damn thing out at the airport," she grumbled, hanging up her coat. "He just lit up another one in the car." She came over and stood by the couch, and Hatori stood on the other side. "I present, Rebecca's father, my soon-to-be-ex-husband, Jason Lincoln. Oh, and Rebecca's brother, mine and Jason's son, Bret Bridges-Lincoln." She lazily mimicked a fanfare, not really caring.

Becky watched as a man with dirty blonde hair and electric blue eyes walked through the door. He was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans which looked like they were smeared with oil or something, and a cigarette was hanging out of his mouth. She instantly thought of Yuki's asthma. She leaned over. "Are you gonna be okay?" she whispered. "He's smoking."

"Don't worry, I'll be alright," he answered at the same volume. "I'll just… hold my breath when I shake his hand, and I'll go get my inhaler as soon as I can think of an excuse to leave."

"… Well, okay… if you're sure…"

Becky turned her attention back to the door. A teenage boy followed after the blonde man, who was obviously her father. He had strawberry blonde hair, slightly more like their mother's, while Becky's was obviously a lighter blonde like their father's. A portion of his bangs was dyed an onyx color with glitter in it. He had, however, gotten his bright blue eyes from their father, and they were framed by light black eyeliner. Becky rolled her eyes at his appearance. Great, she had an emo kid for a brother.

The blonde man, Jason, held out his arms, walking forward. "Come on, baby girl! You're not gonna give your old man a hug? After twelve years?"

"Uh…" Becky stood up and walked forward. She tentatively gave him a hug, wrapping her arms around him as lightly as she could. Even doing this, he smelled like smoke, motor oil… and she swore there was a faint odor of alcohol on him. She slowly pulled away, looking down. He hadn't changed at all. She looked over to the emo that was her brother. "Uh… Bret?"

He smiled. "Hey, sis." He put his arms around her, and pulled her into a tight hug. She almost gagged; he smelled like smoke, too. When he let her go, he was still smiling. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Yeah… you, too." She gestured to the adults/mature people, pointing at them and rattling off their names. "Uh, well, this is the family we live with right now – the Sohmas. This is Shigure, Ayame, Ritsu, Kyo, Tohru – who's not technically a Sohma but she lives here and is Kyo's girlfriend – and Hatsuharu. There are a few more, but the younger ones are in their rooms."

"Nice." Jason held up a hand and nodded. "Pleasure, guys."

There were murmurs among the Sohmas, but everyone pretty much just agreed on the phrase, "You, too, sir".

Becky grabbed Yuki up off the couch. "A-And this is my… m-my…" She swallowed. _Just say it, you gutless little ditz!_ "_Boy_friend, Yuki Sohma. He, uh… he's actually Aya's little brother."

Yuki took a deep breath, and held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lincoln."

"Huh." Jason clamped onto Yuki's hand and stiffly shook it. "So you're the one who stole my little girl's heart."

"Heh… I-I guess you could say that, sir." Yuki glanced back at his pretend girlfriend, and she giggled when she saw that his face was basically just screaming, "Help me!" She waved at him to turn around and talk to her father.

"You look like a punk," Bret commented. "Who looks that much like a girl and doesn't even _try_ to do it?"

Yuki looked like he wanted to say something along the lines of, _Well, at least I don't look like a drag queen._ But he kept his mouth shut about Bret's looks. "I suppose it's just the curse of the Sohma men. We're far too effeminate. For God's sakes, just look at Ritsu."

Everyone snickered, Becky included. She put her hands on Yuki's shoulders. "Uh, Yuki… don't you have to go…"

"Yes, I really…" He coughed a few times. "I really should…" The coughing got worse, and Becky started to get worried. "Be going…" He bent at the waist, his coughing increasing. It sounded dry and harsh, and he was gasping, like he could breathe.

Becky moved to his side, a hand on his back. "Yuki! Yuki, are you okay? Oh, my God!" She didn't know what to do now. He'd told her he was going to be okay, and now he wasn't. She looked over at the doctor of the family. "H-Hatori-san… I-I think he's having an asthma attack! Help!"

Hatori hurried over, pushing everyone else aside so he could get to Yuki. Before anyone could do anything, however, there was a poof and a cloud of smoke.

**(1) - You should listen to this song if you don't know it already. It comes into play in Chapter 35 which is quickly coming upon us!**

**(2) - Also a good version of the song, but the slower one has an extra little something and it does matter which version you listen to... the slower version is what will be in Chapter 35. ^^**

**(3) - No offense! No offense to peoples who live in California, Florida... Texas... XD  
**

_**Preview of Chapter 31…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"_The things I do for the Sohmas… hey, Hatori-kun," she called. "Can you wipe memories while someone's sleeping… or… unconscious?"_

_Hatori glanced up and groaned. "Oh, for God's sake, you violent vixen!"_

"_Hey, something had to be done." She held up the metal vase. "Uh… sorry about the dent in this thing. Did what I had to do."_

**(P.S. Sorry the preview's so short and it doesn't really give a clue of what's happening!)**


	31. Chapter 31

_With these hands, I will apologize for my family._

Becky stared in horror at the smoke, as she knew all to well what that signaled. Yuki's body had come under too much stress – what with her family showing up, and now having an asthma attack. _Oh, God,_ she thought, _not now, not now…_ She blinked, and when the smoke cleared, Yuki wasn't there anymore. Well… _he_ was there, it just wasn't his… _human_ body. He was in his little white rat form now. "Yuki!" She bent down and picked him up. He wasn't moving, eyes closed, but he was still gasping for breath. "Yuki! Yuki, wake up! Please! Wake up!" She felt the tears dropping from her eyes. She was worried about the fact that her father and brother had seen him transform, but at the moment, she was far more worried about Yuki's condition. She stroked behind his ears with two fingers and more tears made her eyes misty as they fell to the floor and her hands. "Wake up… please wake up…"

Nancy was watching the entire thing. She saw that her husband's and son's faces were frozen with fear and confusion. They were just staring at Becky holding Yuki's rat form, the boy's clothes in a heap on the ground. She wasn't quite sure what to do; she was concerned about Yuki, of course… but she also knew that Hatori would have to wipe Jason and Bret's memories. But not now, and they needed peace to take care of Yuki. They'd made a big scene about this. Besides that… she had made a deal with Jason not to say a word about the Bridges curse in court, but she had never even mentioned the Sohma curse. If this came up in court, it wouldn't be good. She looked around, and suddenly noticed a metal vase on the table by the door. One hit to the head with that and… She sighed, picking it up. "The things I do for the Sohmas…" She first whacked Jason over the head with it, and then Bret, effectively knocking them out. She then stamped on the cigarette that Jason had been smoking. "Hey, Hatori-kun," she called. "Can you wipe memories while someone's sleeping… or… unconscious?"

Hatori glanced up and groaned. "Oh, for God's sake, you violent vixen!"

"Hey, something had to be done." She held up the metal vase. "Uh… sorry about the dent in this thing. Did what I had to do."

Becky laid Yuki back on the floor, covering him with his clothes, and she was surprised when he morphed back to his human form. Thanks to the clothes, he was covered up, but he still looked terrible. His face was pink, and sweat beaded down the sides of his forehead. The expression on his face clearly conveyed that he was in a lot of pain. Even more tears flowed down Becky's cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Yuki… this is all my fault… I'm so sorry…"

Hatori bent down and picked Yuki up, wrapping the clothes around the back of his body as well. "I'm going to take him to his room and see what I can do for him." He looked at Becky, and his gaze softened a little. "I'll send Ayame to get you when you can come in." He gestured to Ayame with his head. "Ayame, come with me."

"Of course!" Ayame began to follow Hatori, but then looked back Becky, and came over to her. He put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, Becca. I know my brother, and he'll be fine. I'll be back soon."

After they left, Becky sat down on the couch. So many things were running through her mind right now, like the fact that Yuki'd just had an asthma attack and it was her fault for not telling him to leave to get his inhaler and get away from the smoke. Like the fact that her dad was here and she still didn't want anything to do with him. Like the fact that her brother was with him and he was turning into an emo version of her father. She dropped her face into her hands, and began to cry.

-xxx-

Useless. If Becky had to sum up everything that she was feeling right now, that was the word she would apply. She felt useless. It had been half an hour, and Ayame hadn't come to get her yet. She sat on the couch crying, with her mother and Tohru hugging her, Ritsu sitting behind her rubbing her back, Shigure behind the couch playing with her hair, and Kyo and Hatsuharu sitting on the floor, Kyo's hand under her own and Hatsuharu's on top of it. She hated that everything was centered around her, making _her_ feel better, comforting _her_. Somebody else should be in there with Yuki. She wanted to be, but she couldn't go in until Ayame came.  
Nobody spoke, except for Becky occasionally saying, through her tears, that it was all her fault. And then Ritsu would say no, it was his fault. Then Becky would stop talking until she felt another strong wave of guilt wash over her, and it would start all over again.

Nancy got up, letting go of her daughter. Becky looked up and saw that her mother's eyes were also rimmed by red; she'd been crying, too. The older woman ran a hand through her hair, sighing. "I'm going to get a drink… does anybody else want anything?"

Nobody replied. Nancy shook her head and walked out. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Call me if Aya comes out here."

Becky lie down on the spot her mother had left vacant. "I feel just awful about this," she sobbed, covering her face and curling up into a ball. "If I had just told Yuki to leave the minute I saw my dad was smoking, none of this would have happened. Yuki wouldn't have had an asthma attack and transformed, my dad and Bret wouldn't need their memories erased, and Yuki wouldn't be lying in there bedridden right now!" Her chest heaved, as her crying slowed down a little. "This is my fault, I know it, and nothing anybody says can change that."

"Becky-chan, you can't control what other people do," Tohru told her. "If your dad chooses to smoke, then that's his choice. We have to keep Yuki away from him and/or make sure Yuki has his inhaler all the time."

"Tohru-chan, I know you're just trying to make me feel better… this _is_ my fault."

All of a sudden, somebody took her other hand and held it tightly. "Tohru is right, Re-chan," Ritsu spoke up. She was surprised; he sounded a lot more confident than he usually did. "You may be able to influence other people, but the final decision is up to them. You can't change it." His fingers tightened around hers. "You and Tohru… you both helped me see that… not everything is my fault… and even though I've still got a long way to go with that… I'm starting to understand. Things happen sometimes, and… maybe some things… maybe they're not anybody's fault. This is… one of those times, Re-chan. I mean… nothing you said or did would have changed what happened. It wasn't something you could change. It's not your fault… it's not anybody's."

Becky removed her other hand and looked up at Ritsu. He was smiling at her, his amber eyes glittering with tears that he was trying to hold back. "Ritsu…"

"Don't blame yourself, Rebecca-chan." He chuckled. "And you know what? I wish you'd keep your hair out of your face." He brushed her bangs back out of her face. "Nobody can see your pretty eyes."

She tightened her grip on his hand. "Thanks, Ritsu. You're… like… one of the best friends I've ever had. Thank you… _so_ much for caring like this."

"We all care, Re-chan." His smile widened, light blush dusting his cheeks as he looked embarrassed. "Oh… I'm sorry for being so wordy… I just… _somebody_ had to say it, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm glad it was you. Thanks a lot, Ritsu. That makes me feel a lot better."

"Re-chan… I'm just returning the favor. You comforted me when… you know… and now it's my turn. Thank you for listening."

Out of nowhere, Ayame suddenly came bursting into the room. "Becca!" He grabbed Becky's hand and pulled her off the couch. "Oh! Yuki's waking up, and I have a feeling he'll want to see you! Come on!"

"Whoa! Aya, slow down!" She followed him to the back. "Is he really awake?"

"Almost! He was starting to wake up when Hatori told me to come get you. And so of course I ran!"

Becky felt her face flush with excitement. Yuki was awake! He was going to be alright… wasn't he? "Thank you, Aya!"

Ayame opened the door and led her in. Hatori was busy folding the covers over Yuki, who was stirring, eyelashes fluttering. Ayame squeezed Becky's shoulders. "I'll leave you guys alone. Bye-bye, gorgeous." He walked out.

Hatori turned around and saw Becky. "Oh, Rebecca. Ah, Ayame's fast…"

Becky sat down in a chair by the bed and looked at Yuki. He still looked so pale and fragile. "Is… Is Yuki going to be okay, Hatori-san?"

Hatori gave her a smile. "He should be fine. I managed to get the asthma medicine into him, and he already seems better. His temperature's just half a degree above normal, and I think it's gone down. He's waking up." He rubbed her back. "I'm going to go erase Mr. Lincoln's and Bret's memories. I'll make them think they're staying at the hotel in town – the one that doesn't need reservations. I'll be going now. Tell me if his condition changes."

"Okay."

Becky looked at Yuki as she heard the door close. "Yuki? You awake?"

Yuki's eyes opened, and blinked at her tiredly, like he was confused. She'd never been so happy to see the color purple. "Rebecca? Oh…" He sat up a little bit. "How long was I… sleeping?"

"I think about half an hour." She reached over and took his hand, and she was struck by a feeling of never wanting to let go. "Yuki, I was so worried. I thought you were really sick."

"I'm fine. I didn't mean to concern you… I didn't… I just wasn't sure what was going on. I just couldn't breathe all of a sudden. Next thing I know I was transforming, and I could hear you… and feel you… you were talking to me, touching me, holding me…" He reached up with his other hand, and brushed beneath her eye with one finger. "You've been crying."

"Of course I have. But I'm okay now, Yuki. I was just worried about you." She placed her other hand over his on her face. "How are you feeling now?"

"Much better. I can breathe again." He looked around. "Where are your father and brother?"

"… Hatori's wiping their minds. My mom knocked them out with a metal vase."

"… Strangely, knowing your mother, that doesn't surprise me at all."

"Look, Yuki, I'm… I'm so sorry about all of this. I should have just told you to leave. I would have introduced you to him later, when you'd used your inhaler and were prepared. I didn't know he was gonna be smoking before he even got here…"

"It's okay. Look, I'm fine now. Your father and brother aren't going to remember this. And, you're going to stay right here with us. That is all that matters. Alright? Everything's going to be fine. I promise."

"… Really? Promise?"

"Yes, promise." He squeezed her hand. "We're going to be alright."

"… Okay. I believe you."

**Blech… kind of a lame chapter ending, ne? Oh well, I just couldn't think of anything else. Next chapter, however, I promise you… A LITTLE ACTION! Well, actually the next TWO chapters. After that… well, I'm not going to say anything about after chapter 33 because it would probably ruin my surprise.**

_**Preview of Chapter 32…**_

_**-xxx-**_

"… _You don't want to talk about this, do you?" Yuki asked, sweeping some of her bangs back._

"_Nope. I just wanna sit here and go to sleep on your shoulder."_

"_I see. Do you just… want to be held? Like regular fake boyfriends hold their fake girlfriends?"_

_She giggled. "Yeah. But remember, we're not a __**regular**__ fake couple. We're a __**cursed**__ fake couple. You can't hold me."_


	32. Chapter 32

_With these hands, I will ease your fears._

For Becky, Friday after school was spent with Yuki, Ritsu, Tohru, Kyo, Hatsuharu, and Momiji, doing basically whatever Momiji wanted to do. They played kickball, blew bubbles, got into bathing suits and ran through a sprinkler, and splashed around in the pool. After that and dinner, they did their homework. Becky had set up a nice little system with Yuki about homework questions. Every time she got a math problem right, she got to hug him and giggle when he turned into a rat. Every time she got a social studies question right, she got to braid a lock of his hair. And every time she answered one of his random questions about _San Nozomi_ **(1)** correctly, she got to give him a kiss on the cheek.

However, for Nancy, the entire Friday was spent mostly with Hatori. She got online and worked with a few patients, but mostly the day was spent preparing for divorce court the next day. Hatori asked her questions, which she answered realistically as if she were in the court and Hatori were the judge. She had decided to state the reason for the divorce as "irreconcilable differences", and the main one would be that she didn't like Jason smoking around the children. She would give the example of Becky's pneumonia five years ago, which nearly killed her because of the fact that her lungs were weak from secondhand smoke, and would also state that the smoke had recently given Becky's "boyfriend" (Yuki) an asthma attack. She would say that she wanted him out of her life. She was glad that Hatori thought her answers were pretty solid and would probably be heavily considered. He told her that she had a good chance of getting the divorce, and that make her happy. She'd never have to expose Becky to Jason ever again.

Becky was edgy the entire Saturday, even before her mother left. She didn't want to eat breakfast, though Ayame did persuade her to drink at least a few sips of tea. It wasn't much, but Ayame seemed to think it would help. After breakfast she went into the living room and turned the TV to VH1, hoping to distract herself with the Top 20 countdown. Yuki and Ritsu joined her shortly after that. "Ohh, look," Yuki commented enticingly, poking Becky in the forehead and gesturing to the TV. "'California Gurls' **(2)** is number one again. You love that song!"

"You told me you want your own version of Katy Perry's Candyland costume," Ritsu added. "It's adorable, isn't it?"

Becky just sat there staring at the screen, mouthing the words. She didn't answer either of their comments. She just looked straight ahead, like she hadn't heard them.

"She's completely out of it," Yuki sighed. "She's worried about the divorce, I think, is what it is."

"Oh, I know," Ritsu agreed. "It hurts me that we can't help."

"It hurts me too, but… I'm not sure she _wants_ to feel better at the moment. I think she just wants to sulk right now."

"Ohhhhh, poor Re-chan."

Nancy came in from the kitchen. "Well… Hatori-kun and I are leaving for the divorce court. Wish me luck."

Becky jumped up and ran over to her mother. When she took Nancy's hands, she felt them shaking. "Don't worry, Ma." She threw her arms around her mother and squeezed tightly. "It'll be okay. You'll get it."

Nancy hugged her daughter back, just as tightly. "I know, Rebecca. Thanks for cheering me on. All these years… hmm. Whatever I wanted to do, you usually went along with it and you'd never ask why. Whatever I would tell you, you would accept it without question. You were never the rebellious type, and I was always happy about that. But you know, I still owe you an explanation as to what happened to Squeaky the hamster…"

"Ma, not in front of Yuki. He's a _rat_. The rat and the hamster are, like, cousins."

"Ah, right. Well… I'll be back soon, honey." She gave Becky one last squeeze, then pushed Hatori forward as he came out of the kitchen. "You go get that car started! I can't drive myself, I'm not allowed to touch your car! Come on, let's go! We're gonna be late!"

Becky shook her head and laughed as her mother walked out the door with Hatori. She sat back down and sighed, then placed her head on Yuki's shoulder, closing her eyes. "I think she'll be just fine. She can take care of herself, after all."

"… You don't want to talk about this, do you?" Yuki asked, sweeping some of her bangs back.

"Nope. I just wanna sit here and go to sleep on your shoulder."

"I see. Do you just… want to be held? Like regular fake boyfriends hold their fake girlfriends?"

She giggled. "Yeah. But remember, we're not a _regular_ fake couple. We're a _cursed_ fake couple. You can't hold me."

"Now you slow down there, cursed fake girlfriend. I may not be able to _hug_ you…" He reached over, and his arm snaked **(A/N: no offense to Aya, of course XD)** around her shoulder, his hand dangling down over her collar bone. "But I can _hold_ you. What kind of cursed fake boyfriend would I be if I couldn't even take away some of your unrest about this? It's the least I can do. Literally."

Becky looked down into her lap, feeling so grateful that she had a friend as good as Yuki. Her hand found its way into his lap and around his hand. She scooted closer to him, and nestled into the crook of his neck. "… You really don't know how much this means to me and how much I appreciate all of you. Thank you, Yuki… so much."

**BIG CHAPTER COMING UP!**

**Will Becky stay in Japan? Or will she be sent to live in **_**Nebraska**_** with her long-lost father and brother?**

… **Wait why am I asking **_**you**_** people all these questions? It's MY story! Ugh…**

**(1) - The book for English class! Mentioned in like chapter 6 or 7 I think... the one about the woman who falls in love with a genie. ^^**

**(2) - AWESOME SONG! I love Katy Perry!  
**

**(Sorry this chapter was so short by the way! The next one's longer I promise!)  
**

_**Preview of Chapter 33…**_

_**-xxx-**_

_She was currently using Yuki's hand as a stress toy, practically choking the life out of it. "I'm sympathetic to the fact that you're nervous," Yuki said under his breath to her, "… but would it __**kill**__ you to ease up your grip on my hand a bit? I think you're going to break it."_

"_Sorry." She loosened her grip a little. "I'm just…"_

"_I know."_

"_Yeah."_

"_Please rise," called the bailiff as the judge entered._

_Yuki and Becky got up, along with Nancy, who was messing with her earring because her hair was caught in it. She quickly got it out and stood straight. The rest of the courtroom (which consisted mostly of the male side of Becky's family and the Sohmas) stood also._

"_You may be seated." The judge, who was a woman, looked through some papers. "The trial for custody of Rebecca Bridges and Bret Bridges-Lincoln will now begin."_


	33. Chapter 33

_With these hands, I will struggle through a lie for you._

When Nancy came home, she came in before Hatori, cheering and whooping loudly. She said that the court had granted them divorce and it would be final tomorrow. Shigure, being the ladies' man he was, immediately went to "congratulate" her with a kiss, but all he received was a handprint on the side of his face. Everyone was happy about this news, and there was a sort of party. Well, if one counted a marathon of Katy Perry videos and then an episode of _Friends_ after dinner that night with practically everyone singing along (especially to the theme song of _Friends_) a party… then it was certainly a crazy shindig.

However, now they had a new problem on their hands. The day of the custody trial was nearly upon them now. Nancy spent Sunday with Hatori again, making sure she knew what to say so that the court would decide to let her keep Becky. Becky and Yuki spent Sunday with Tohru, Kyo, and Hatsuharu, Ritsu supervising. All four of them quizzed the two on each other's interests. Favorite colors, music, books, TV shows, and other hobbies. They knew a lot about each other. Becky knew that Yuki liked cooking but she was amused by the fact that when she tried to eat it to be supportive, most of it was inedible, and that he also liked sewing and photography. Yuki knew that Becky liked drawing, but he'd seen her drawings and was surprised to find that they were little more than stick figures, and that she liked gardening and spending time with children. Becky loved that Yuki was sensitive enough to do jobs like cooking and sewing that were usually associated with women, and Yuki admired that Becky wasn't afraid to get her hands in the dirt and do anything silly to play with kids.

The only thing that Yuki couldn't manage to remember was that Becky's favorite color was copper. That was okay, though, because Becky forgot what movie was Yuki's favorite.

Becky sometimes wished that this wasn't all fake… that Yuki was really her boyfriend. That would make it so much easier to get through all of this.

But just having Yuki as a friend was enough to help her deal with it.

-xxx-

The night before the custody trial, Becky couldn't sleep again. She went to the kitchen like the first two times, hoping to find Yuki there. After all, third time was the charm. She shuffled into the kitchen, tired and trying to fix her messy ponytail. "Yuki," she called, flicking the light on. "You in here?"

"No, but you're on the right branch of the family tree!"

Becky blinked and rubbed her eyes. Sitting at the table, a wineglass filled with sparkling white liquid in front of him, was Ayame. He had a pencil in hand and was sketching on his pad. He smiled and waved at her. "… Aya?"

"Please, have a seat, Becca. Join me here." He patted the chair next to him, pulling it out for her.

Becky sat down and yawned again. "What are you doing here, Aya?"

"Couldn't sleep." He gestured to his glass. "Thought perhaps a little white wine would inspire me for a new costume." He held up his pad, grinning proudly. "What do you think? It was inspired by several of Lady Gaga's outfits!" **(1)**

"Yeah…" She shook her head. "I love her costumes. 'Hey, look at that awesome thing that is not clothing!'" She held out her hand. "'_I demand that you make it into clothing_!'" **(2)**

Ayame chuckled. "So what are you doing up, gorgeous? You should be getting your sleep."

"Oh, I can't sleep. I'm so nervous about tomorrow." She rubbed her arm. "I mean… what if I say the wrong thing? What if _Yuki_ says the wrong thing? We could screw it all up and I'll have to live with my dad! I don't wanna live with him. I wanna stay with you guys."

"Ohhh, I certainly appreciate that you think so highly of us." Ayame reached over and brushed some fuzz off her sleeve. "However, you need to be brave, my dear." He placed his hands over one of hers. "There is no place for cowards in this family." He winked. "Yuki isn't worried! You have no reason to be, pretty girl. And I know you're far better than a coward." He rapped his knuckles against her chin, smiling. "Buck up, gorgeous. We all know you can do this. We have faith in you, and we're standing right behind you on this." He stood up, taking a last sip of his wine. "Ah, well…" He placed the glass in his sink. "I think I better get to bed. All of us are going to be there tomorrow." He gave her shoulders a squeeze. "Don't worry. I know you'll be alright." Ruffling her hair, he walked off. "Now, I think you better get to sleep! Goodnight and sweet dreams, beautiful."

Becky sighed and looked down at the table, playing with the long sleeves of her pajamas. Maybe Ayame was right. Maybe she shouldn't worry.

Maybe everything _would_ be alright.

-xxx-

The courtroom was colder than Becky imagined it to be. She had imagined it to be unbearably hot, as she had often heard it described in books. But it was actually freezing, and with a jacket she still wasn't warm.

She sat beside both Yuki and her mother on the bench. Yuki on one side, her mother on the other. She had to admit that her mother really looked pretty today. Her copper hair was curled, most of it pulled back in a high ponytail, a few bangs left framing her face. She wore a dark pink lipstick, not quite red, and cerulean eyeshadow, not on too heavy. She was dressed in a gray suit, and Becky had to say that it was the most professional she'd ever seen Nancy look in her life.

She was currently using Yuki's hand as a stress toy, practically choking the life out of it. "I'm sympathetic to the fact that you're nervous," Yuki said under his breath to her, "… but would it _kill_ you to ease up your grip on my hand a bit? I think you're going to break it."

"Sorry." She loosened her grip a little. "I'm just…"

"I know."

"Yeah."

"Please rise," called the bailiff as the judge entered.

Yuki and Becky got up, along with Nancy, who was messing with her earring because her hair was caught in it. She quickly got it out and stood straight. The rest of the courtroom (which consisted mostly of the male side of Becky's family and the Sohmas) stood also.

"You may be seated." The judge, who was a woman, looked through some papers. "The trial for custody of Rebecca Bridges and Bret Bridges-Lincoln will now begin." She signaled to Jason. "Jason Lincoln, am I correct?"

"Yes, your Honor."

"Are Rebecca and Bret both your children, sir?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"But Bret has both your last name and your ex-wife's, correct?"

"Yes."

"May I ask the reason for that?"

"Nancy kept her maiden name when we married, so Becks had her last name. But she wanted Bret to have both our last names."

"I see. Sir…" She looked down at the papers. "How many cigarettes would you say you smoke a day?"

"Uh… some days it's two packs, some it's one and a half."

"And how much alcohol do you drink a day?"

"Mmm… three, four cans of beer, maybe."

"Alright. No further questions for the time being."

"Thanks." Jason visibly relaxed, his shoulders dropping down.

"Mrs. Bridges?" The judge gestured to Nancy. "Would you mind answering a few questions?"

"No, your Honor."

"Are Rebecca and Bret both your children?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Did you request that Bret would have both yours and your ex-husband's surnames?"

"Yes, I did."

"Alright… you have currently been raising Rebecca while Mr. Lincoln raises Bret?"

"Yes."

"For how long before you got a divorce this past Saturday?"

"About twelve years."

"Do you smoke or drink at all?"

"I used to drink when I was in college, but I rarely do anymore, and I've never smoked."

"No more questions."

"Thank you." Nancy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Rebecca Bridges, may I ask you a couple of questions?"

Becky swallowed and pushed some of her hair behind her ear, squeezing Yuki's hand tighter again. "Yes, your Honor."

"How old are you now, Rebecca?"

"Sixteen. My birthday's in March, so I'll be seventeen in about four months."

"So your mother has been raising you since you were four years old?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright." The judge looked down at her papers. "It says here that a Mr. Yuki Sohma is your boyfriend. Would that be the young man sitting next to you?"

"Yes."

"Do you know his middle name?"

Becky took a shallow breath. She'd studied that! She knew Yuki's middle name… "Hikaru. Yuki Hikaru Sohma." **(3)**

"Yuki Sohma, may I speak to you for a moment?"

"Yes, your Honor."

"Is Hikaru your middle name?"

"Yes."

"Do you know Rebecca's middle name?"

Yuki looked over at Becky, casting her a loving glance. Even though she knew he was just pretending, it still made her shiver. "It's London. Rebecca London Bridges." **(4)**

"Is that right, Rebecca?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I'll speak to Yuki for now, you can take a break, Rebecca."

"Yes, ma'am, thank you."

The judge adjusted her glasses. "Now, Yuki… I understand that last Thursday, Mr. Lincoln came to your house to visit Rebecca."

"That would be correct."

"It says in the report I received that Mr. Lincoln was smoking when he arrived, and that shortly after, a previously existing lung condition of yours was severely exacerbated."

Yuki nodded. "I had an asthma attack, yes."

"Can you tell me about that?"

"Yes. I was, uh, born with very weak bronchial tubes. Most of my life, I was isolated from the rest of family, due to the fact that it could be fatal if I got ill. I overcame it when I was eleven."

"I see. Do you know your triggers?"

"Uh… smoke is the worst, but it can also happen if the pollen count gets high enough. The attacks can also occur if I strain my lungs too much, such as if I participate in strenuous physical activity, or if my body is under a lot of stress."

"Thank you, no more questions for you at the moment."

"Thank you, your Honor."

"Rebecca… were you aware that your father would be smoking when he arrived at the Sohmas' home?"

"I wasn't surprised that he was… but no, I can't say that I knew beforehand."

"Were you worried when you noticed that Yuki was having an attack?"

Becky felt a lump in her throat. She didn't really want to talk about that, because that had scared her more than she'd ever been scared about anything in her life. It was far more traumatizing than that Halloween when she was eight, dressed up as an ice skater, and had met Jason Voorhees (who coincidentally shared her father's name) for the first time. **(5)** "I was terrified, your Honor. It hadn't happened before, and I felt helpless. I didn't know what to do."

The trial basically went on like this for another hour. Becky and Yuki didn't have to answer any more questions, but they were forced to sit through the entire thing on that uncomfortable bench. The judge asked Bret about his home, which he only spoke positively of. She also questioned Nancy and Jason about their jobs. It seemed that Jason was now working the graveyard shift at a twenty-four-hour restaurant approximately fifteen miles from where he and Bret lived in Omaha.

Becky sat there, her backside going numb, bored out of her mind but also scared. What would the judge say? Would she send her to Nebraska? Her hand shook in Yuki's, but she could feel his shaking, too. He was just as scared as she was… and that scared her even _more_. If Yuki was scared, that was bad news.

Finally, the judge stopped asking questions. "Alright, I've reached a ruling." She pointed at Bret. "Bret Bridges-Lincoln. You will permanently stay with your father."

Bret pumped his fists in the air. "Yes!" He smacked Jason a high-five. Then he looked back up at the judge. "But… But what about my sis?"

Becky held her breath. _Please let me stay here, please let me stay here…_ That was the only thing her brain was letting her think right now.

"Rebecca Bridges. You will go with your father and live in Omaha, Nebraska, for a period of one month. When you arrive back here, you will decide who you take more pleasure in living with – Mr. Lincoln or Mrs. Bridges. Effective immediately. Next week is the end of November. On the last day of the month, you will travel back to the United States of America. In January, you will come back to Kaibara and state your decision." She banged her gavel. "Court adjourned." She got up, and left.

Becky felt her heart racing. Shocked, she looked from her mother to Yuki with wide eyes. The tears cascaded down her face like a waterfall, as she broke down and began to cry. She didn't think there was a word to describe what she was feeling right now. This certainly passed when Mike had left her on the top five worst moments of her life list. She wasn't sure who she'd miss more, the Sohmas or her mother. Worse yet, she'd be stuck with her father and Bret for the entire month of December. How was she going to survive Christmas without her mother… and Yuki and Ritsu and all the other Sohmas and Tohru?

She felt Nancy pull her into a tight hug, and she could tell her mother was sobbing as well. "My baby…" she whispered, her breath catching in her throat. She sounded so much older than she really was. "My daughter, Rebecca, my baby…"

She felt Yuki's hand squeezing her own, and it was trembling. She lifted her head. She looked at Yuki, and she tried to say something, anything, but no sound would come out of her mouth. She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to force herself to speak, but all that came out were little squeaks and incomprehensible noises.

Her heart just about broke in two when she saw that Yuki's eyes were full of tears, and they were trailing down his face, plopping into his lap, on top of his hand which held hers. He looked down, taking quick, shallow breaths, avoiding her eyes. "Rebecca… I'm so sorry…"

Becky wanted to just yell at him that it wasn't his fault. She wanted nothing more than to give him the biggest whack over the head that she'd ever given to anybody before.

But oddly enough, the only thing she wanted to do more than that was hug him, just hold him and tell him how she felt.

She knew she was falling in love with him, and it had just taken her _this_ long to realize it.

**WAHHHHH SO SAD!**

**(1) – Oh Aya you're so silly!**

**(2) – I love Lady Gaga's costumes they're so wonderfully crazy!**

**(3) – Just making that up, lalala…**

**(4) – And if you ever wondered where Becky gets **_**her**_** sense of humor… well, there's your answer. From her mom who gave her the middle name London with the last name Bridges.**

**(5) – JASON VOORHEES! Friday the 13****th**** FTW! :hockey mask killer luv: But poor Becky, 8-year-old ice skater, had the hell scared out of her by a guy in a Jason costume. (And no, not dressed like her dad XD)**

_**Preview of Chapter 34…**_

_**-xxx-**_

_Finally, Momiji decided to break the silence. "I'm really gonna miss you, Becca-chan," he piped up, turning around halfway in his seat to look at her._

_Becky glanced up at him, and she wanted so much to look away. Those big brown eyes were sparkling with tears, and his mouth was in a little pout. It was so adorable, but… it was heart-rending, all the same. She took a shaky breath, and another tear escaped her eyes. "I'll miss you too, Momiji-kun," she told him, her voice breaking. She reached up and ruffled his hair a little bit. "I'll miss you too."_


	34. Chapter 34

_With these hands, I will pledge myself to you._

The ride home from the courthouse was silent. Nobody even turned the radio on. Hatori drove, and Nancy sat in the passenger seat. Ayame, Shigure, and Momiji sat in the second row. Becky sat between Yuki and Ritsu in the last row. Hatsuharu was driving himself, Kyo, and Tohru home. Becky just stared down in her lap, at her hands, her head on Yuki's shoulder and Ritsu's hand on her back. So many things were creating a tumult in her mind right now, it was next to impossible to sort them all out. She couldn't even begin to know what to say to anybody. She didn't want to accept that she was really leaving to go to _Omaha_, of all the miserable places in the world. Acknowledging the fact that she was going, giving it attention right now… that would be like allowing it to happen.

Finally, Momiji decided to break the silence. "I'm really gonna miss you, Becca-chan," he piped up, turning around halfway in his seat to look at her.

Becky glanced up at him, and she wanted so much to look away. Those big brown eyes were sparkling with tears, and his mouth was in a little pout. It was so adorable, but… it was heart-rending, all the same. She took a shaky breath, and another tear escaped her eyes. "I'll miss you too, Momiji-kun," she told him, her voice breaking. She reached up and ruffled his hair a little bit. "I'll miss you too."

-xxx-

All Becky did that night was lay on the couch, her head in Yuki's lap. Their fingers were coiled together, resting on top of her stomach. They didn't talk, they just sat there. Becky told him she wanted to watch TV, to distract herself from this, so he turned it to the comedy channel. Unfortunately, Becky didn't feel much like laughing, so she just sat there and stared at the screen. Yuki watched the show, but his eyes frequently drifted to the young lady who had strewn herself across his lap. She noticed this, too. She sighed, swallowing and trying to keep the sinking sorrow in her stomach from turning into anger. There wasn't any need for that right now. "Boy… a whole month."

"We'll be miserable around here without you, Rebecca."

"Sorry." She turned over, and pressed her face into Yuki's stomach. "You're so warm."

He chuckled weakly. Besides his coughing and gasping when he'd had his asthma attack, it was the most heartbreaking sound Becky had ever heard him make. "I'm really going to be wishing for that sense of humor while you're gone."

"I don't know what I'm gonna do without you," she mumbled.

"I don't know, either." He rubbed her back tenderly. "I'm sorry…"

"If you do one more thing that reminds me of Ritsu, I will hit you over the head. Ritsu's overreacting is the last thing I need right now and I will get annoyed if you act like him."

-xxx-

When the next day, Tuesday, came rolling around, Becky really didn't feel like dragging herself out of bed and trudging to school. She thoroughly planned on staying in bed. She wouldn't have to fake that she felt sick, because she really did. Yuki had to come and get her out of bed, by kissing the back of her neck for ten seconds, far longer than she could stand. It burned too badly for her to just ignore it and tell Yuki she wasn't going. She shoved him off and got ready.

Yuki walked her to school and met her at her locker, to walk her to first period. On the way, they passed his fan club, the president of which glared at Becky. She shrunk back, looking away, at Yuki. "Y-Yuki…"

Yuki chuckled softly. "Don't mind them, Rebecca. They're all bark and no bite. Let's get to class, shall we?"

"Yeah…"

They sat down in class, and the bell rang about thirty seconds later. Becky doodled in her notebook the entire time, not really paying attention. She wouldn't be at this school for much longer, anyway. By the time next Sunday rolled around, she'd be in Omaha with Jason and Bret. It gave her even more of that sick feeling she'd had that morning.

All of a sudden, Yuki held something over his shoulder. It was a piece of paper – folded in half just once, not intricately like he had when they'd first begun doing this. She took it and read the front. _To Rebecca Bridges_. She placed her chin on Yuki's shoulder. "What is this, Yuki?"

He turned his head slightly, just so that she could see part of his eye. But there was a twinkle in it. "Just open it."

She sighed, not feeling like playing any games, and unfolded the paper. Her eyes flickered to Koharumoto-san, and then began to read Yuki's note.

_BECKY Bridges… will you be my girlfriend for real?_

_Love,_

_-Yuki Sohma_

Becky felt a bubbly sensation inside her stomach and chest. She wasn't sure how to describe it. Why… Why did Yuki send this note to her? Did he really like her as much as she liked him? A warm feeling spread through her body, starting at her toes and fingers and coursing through her arms, legs, and chest. She quickly tore a page from her own notebook and wrote back to him.

_YUKI-CHAN… I could never say no to that. I could never say no to YOU._

_Love,_

_-Becky_

She passed the note over Yuki's shoulder and grinned. She had gone from rock bottom to higher than the ceiling like a helium balloon in less than five minutes.

A few moments later, Yuki tossed another note her way. She happily unfolded it and read.

… _Will you please go to the Fall Dance with me? It's this Friday, and it's the last time we'll spend together before you leave._

She took out another piece of paper and wrote.

_Of course! I would love to. _**(1)** _Wait till my mom sees the kimono I'll be wearing – it's the one Aya made for me._

She gave it to Yuki and within thirty seconds she had a reply.

_I can't wait to see you in it._

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Yuki's shoulder. "Thank you so much. And not just for this, but – for everything."

-xxx-

"Yuki, I told you not to carry me! Come on, put me down! I can walk!"

Becky was giggling in protest, as Yuki ran to the Sohma house… with her in his arms and she wasn't allowed to grab him around the neck. He was laughing, as he burst in the door with her. They were far ahead of Tohru and Kyo. "I can't help it, Rebecca!" He nuzzled her cheek with his nose. "I have so little time to spend with you before you're gone, and I won't see you for an entire month! I would think my girlfriend wouldn't turn down my affection!"

"I wouldn't turn down affection – _but I never said I wanted Prince Charming_! I'm not Cinderella, you know!"

"I know, but I just can't help it! You look so beautiful with your hair down, and your bangs hanging in your eyes, the sun glinting off them just perfectly-! Come here, you! I want a kiss!"

"Can you believe it, Tohru-koi?" Kyo grumbled as he and Tohru walked into the house and off to a different room. "_They_ are the ones who said 'Couples are so annoying!' And now look at 'em! They're all over each other like a coupla wild—"

"_KYO_! For God's sake, _control your mouth_! Kagura, Hiro, and Kisa might be here!"

"Yeah, well I don't think we'd have to worry about Hiro so much! He's a bigger brat than I am and that's really sayin' something!"

Yuki deposited Becky on the couch, and sat beside her. "You're so pretty."

Becky laughed and hit him in the face with a couch pillow. "So are you, bishounen!" **(2)**

Ayame walked in and leaned over the couch. "Awww, who found love?" He placed a hand on each of their heads and made a beeping noise. "My romance radar is going off! It must be you two!" He grinned, leaning on his elbows. "So who asked who?"

"He asked me," Becky replied, pointing at Yuki and giving his neck a nuzzle.

"And now you're happy as clams! Magnificent!"

"Which reminds me, Aya." Becky twisted around. "Did you hem the sleeves on my kimono? I need it for the dance on Friday."

"Ohhhhhhh! Dear me, I forgot all about that!"

Becky gave him a blank look. "So… you _lied_ about that because you didn't want me braiding your hair?" **(3)**

"…" Ayame ran off. "It shouldn't take me long! I'll have it ready by tomorrow, I promise!"

Becky and Yuki looked at each other. Becky grinned slyly, moving closer to his face. "Sooooo… now that your idiot's gone…"

"Mmm, I was just thinking the same thing, Rebecca."

They moved in closer to each other. Yuki pressed his lips to Becky's, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly.

There was a poof as Yuki transformed, and Becky shrieked in realization of the burning on her lips and side, where Yuki had previously had his hand.

Becky sighed when she saw Yuki scurrying around in rat form on the couch, trying to get down. "Yuki!" She shook her head and rested her cheek on her fist. She knew that if there was any way she and Yuki were ever going to have this relationship, and love each other… if they didn't want to have a "hands-off-me-before-my-curse-activates" relationship, they had to find some way to break their curses.

She picked Yuki up by the tail and held him in front of her face. She blinked, looking into his big crimson eyes and trying to read his emotions. Which was hard to do when he was in rat form.

"… We have got to do something about this."

**(1) – Uh-oh! Looks like Becky has forgotten about chapter 28 when Motoko-chan threatened her…**

**(2) – Bishounen is "pretty boy" used for feminine boys.**

**(3) – Please refer to… chapter 17 I think?**

**NO PREVIEW BECAUSE THE NEXT CHAPTER IS THE SPECIAL ONE!**

**I shall leave you in suspense… SUSPENSE I SAY!**


	35. Chapter 35

"Come on, Rebecca!" A flash. "Just a few more! You guys look so cute together!" Another flash. "I can't believe you have your second boyfriend!" Yet another flash. "_And so soon before you leave_! _Oh, my God, I can't take it_!"

"Ma! Ma, Ma, come on! Stop it!" Becky held up a hand, trying to block Nancy's camera. She buried her face into Yuki's neck. "You're so embarrassing! Come on, cut it out!"

Yuki chuckled. "I don't mind, Rebecca. After all, _my_ mother never fawned over me like this. I have to say, having a parent gush over you feels rather good."

"Damn it, Yuki!" She poked him in the cheek. "I'm about to take out my hairsticks and smack you with them! The only thing stopping me is that _Aya_ would _kill_ me!" She pointed at her hair. "He spent _an hour and a half_ doing this to my head!"

"You look absolutely adorable in that tux, Yuki," Nnacy giggled, snapping another picture. "And Rebecca! Oh, you look like such a young woman with that dress! Do you suppose Aya would make one in my size?"

"If you agreed to kiss him," Becky muttered, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, "he'd probably design an entire _line_ just for you."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous." Nancy clicked the camera again. "I showed him a picture of your aunt and now he's got a crush on _her_!"

"Which aunt?"

"My youngest sister. Oh, you remember her! She's got the green eyes, like us, but she has that crazy red hair that's so loud you can't hear her talking over it! Oh, I'll have to bring her out here some time! I mean, after you… get… back…" She started sobbing.

"Oh, Ma! Ma, don't cry! Come on! I don't wanna have to go out with Yuki tonight and think about how miserable you're going to be here. You know, with Shigure… who has a crush on _you_…" She winked. "_If you get my drift_."

Nancy sighed. "Alright, alright. I'm fine. I'll pass the night praising Shigure's latest novel, though it probably contains some eroticism." She shuddered. "If I finish passing good judgment on this one, he'll hopefully never ask me to read another one _ever again_."

"Okay, Ma. One more picture, and then Yuki and I _really_ have to get going."

"Alright, alright. Make a nice pose for me, but don't go turning the boy into a rodent."

Becky rolled her eyes. "Lovely, so happy to call you my mother." She pressed her back against Yuki's chest. He draped his arm over her shoulder, and she reached up to grasp his hand. She smiled, and she was pretty sure Yuki was smiling too, because of the fact that her mother didn't say, _For God's sake, boy, get that silly look off your face!_

One final snap and flash, and Nancy put the camera down. "Okay, you two! Go to that dance, you guys have fun." She pointed at Yuki. "And just because this is the last time you'll be going out together before she… l-leaves…" She sniffled, wiping her eyes. "… I'm not giving you a curfew. Have her home any time you like, but I better not find either of you smelling of hotel soap or with your clothes on backwards when you come home."

Yuki smiled, bowing his head. "I'll have her home by ten, ma'am."

"Damn right you will." She waved them off. "Now… go have a good time, you two! Party hardy for me!"

"Bye, Ma." Becky hugged her mom quickly. "Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it."

"I know, honey… but I'll still miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." She squeezed Yuki's hand. "Alright, Ma, I really have to go. We wait any longer, we're going to be an hour past fashionably late."

"Alright. Have fun, baby."

"I will!"

Nancy sat down at the table. Tears dropped onto the surface, and her chest heaved as she began to cry.

Shigure walked in, and saw her tears. "Oh, Nancy-chan! What's the matter, beautiful?" he asked, holding her by the shoulders.

Nancy looked up. She was still crying, but she was smiling too. "My little girl's all grown up."

-xxx-

Becky looked around the dance, and she was amazed that this had, just a few hours ago, been the gym where she had laboriously run laps. It wasn't exactly dark, but dim, and strobe lights were flashing. Upbeat music was playing, and most of the people were dancing.

She looked over at Yuki, and rested her had on his arm. "I'm glad we came."

"Me, too. Why don't we dance?"

"Sure! I've been waiting since Tuesday to get my groove thing on, and luckily, Aya's kimono allows enough movement for me to shake it!"

"And there's the crazy Rebecca I know and love."

Becky recognized the song as "Evacuate the Dance Floor" by Cascada. **(1)** She began to dance with Yuki, grabbing his hand and swirling around wildly. She twisted and twirled around the floor, and Yuki decided to join her, except that he didn't move quite as crazily as she did. He dipped her down toward the floor more than once, and she almost lost a hairstick. Thankfully, she settled on the theory that it was probably the super-extra hold hairspray Ayame had coated her hair in that kept the decorations from falling out.

All of a sudden, there was a spotlight on them. "Ohhh, how sweet!" a male voice called. When they glanced over, it was the DJ, one of the guys in Becky's math class. "Ooh-whee, I think we got a house favorite for couple! I do believe that's Becky Bridges and – hold the phone, is that _Yuki Sohma_? Man, never thought I'd live to see the day when he decided to date!" The boy waved them up onto the stage. "Come on up, guys! It looks like you two are the favorite couple of the night so far, and you're gonna share a special dance!" He pressed a button and the slow version of Cascada's "Every Time We Touch" began to play. "Get on up here, no need to be shy!"

Becky grinned at her boyfriend and pulled him up. "Well, c'mon, let's go! Hee-hee, I can't believe this! It's amazing!"

She began to dance with him, holding both his hands, their arms straight up as they dared to get so close that there weren't five inches of space between their chests. "This is the perfect last day," Becky said softly, smiling at him.

"I'm glad I could make it that way. I'm so happy to spend your last day here with you. I'm honored you decided to do this with me."

Becky took a breath and prepared for what she was about to say. She had undoubtedly fallen for Yuki, and she was ready to tell him exactly how she felt about him. "Yuki… I-I think… I think I might…"

All of a sudden, Becky was drenched with some sort of liquid before she could finish her sentence. In both disgust and horror, she stepped away from Yuki and looked down, realizing she was soaked with punch. It was already staining the silver pattern on the kimono, and her hair was ruined. Her make-up, which Ayame had taken pride in doing for her, was running down her face, and to top it all off, she felt sticky.

She heard laughing and looked over to see Yuki's fangirls going wild. It was then that she remembered the last week. The president of the fan club had threatened her and told her not to be at the dance. And here she was, attending as Yuki's date and girlfriend, no less. She just couldn't believe they would do something like _this_. But then again, it could have been worse; they could have drawn inspiration from _Carrie_.

Becky wasn't quite sure what to do. She felt everyone's eyes on her, and she could hear more than a few people laughing. She ran out, covering her face.

_Well, at least it's not too cliché. I mean, I'm not crying… yet._

She ran into one of the janitor's closets and sat down on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. She felt tears in her eyes and let them come, rolling down her face. Her dress that Ayame had worked so hard on for her was trashed. Her hair, which had spent an hour and a half working on, was wet and sticky. And to top it all off, she was leaving tomorrow and those damn Barbie fangirls had just completely _obliterated_ any chance she had of coming back to this school and being normal again. It was bad enough with her curse and Yuki's curse and her having to leave tomorrow afternoon, and then some stupid girls went and did something like this. If she was going to come back to this school, she would have this hanging over her head, as the last thing that happened before the new girl left for a month and then came back.

The door opened and then closed. "Rebecca."

Becky looked up to see Yuki. "Y-Yuki… c'mon… just go away. They won."

"Rebecca, don't talk like that." Yuki knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "They did not win. All they did was prove how juvenile they really are."

Becky ran an arm over her eyes. "Let's… Let's just go, Yuki. I wanna go home. My dress, my hair… everything's ruined."

"Are you _kidding_ me?" He took her face in his hands. "You look beautiful. And that's the only way I'll ever see you." He ran a hand through her bangs, looking into her eyes even though she wasn't looking into his. "This is our last night together, and it's supposed to be special. If you let their childish actions wreck it, they really _will_ have won. But only _you_ can give them that power. Don't let them win." He carefully used his thumbs to wipe off her make-up that was running. "There we go. No more tears."

Becky met his eyes and gave him a weak smile, brushing her hair out of her face. "Hey Yuki?"

"Hmm?"

"Please stop being so perfect." She reached up and wrapped her arms around him.

Of course, the curse activated and he poofed into a rat. Becky giggled, petting his head. "Sorry about that, Yuki. I just had to do it one last time." She hugged him again and he turned back into a human. She covered her eyes. "Now please get dressed. If anyone sees us in here like this they'll think it's a kinkfest."

Yuki chuckled. "Well, thank you for doing that! This tuxedo took me thirty minutes to get into."

"Oh, you're exaggerating."

"Well, it took Ayame twenty-five minutes to get my tie on correctly. I would have thought he knew how to do it, running a romantic clothing store and all."

"Are you dressed yet?"

"Yes, and somehow I managed to get the tie on by myself."

"Alright." She uncovered her eyes and linked her arm with Yuki's. "You know, I don't think I've ever found you more handsome. You really are charming in that tux."

"Ah, well… I accept." He smiled. "And don't worry. I think most of my fangirls left after you ran out."

Yuki walked Becky back into the gym. Everyone was dancing, but when they walked in, a lot of people looked at them. "Yuki," Becky whispered. "People are staring."

"Just ignore them. You'll get used to it."

"_You_ obviously have, Mr. Celebrity."

The current song ended. The slow version of Plumb's "In My Arms" began to play. **(2)** The piano intro resounded through the gym, filling all the silence, as the boys and girls began to gather on the floor for a couples' dance. Both Yuki and Becky looked at each other, thinking about what a coincidence it was that _this_ song, of all the music the DJ could have chosen, was playing.

Yuki bowed lowly, extending his hand out to Becky. "May I have this dance, Princess Rebecca?"

Becky giggled and took his hand in hers, placing her other hand on his shoulder. "You come here, boy."

Yuki placed his other arm around her waist, drawing her as close as he could without hugging her. "What a wonderful night."

Becky shook her head as she danced with him. This was almost like a dream, something she never thought would happen. She became Yuki's girlfriend… finally got him to notice her… and now she was going away for an entire month. "I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow."

Yuki looked down. He obviously hadn't wanted to be reminded of it, but he would talk about it if she brought it up. "Neither can I. I'll miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too, Yuki."

"I don't know how Ritsu's going to survive without you." Yuki chuckled. "He'll go insane again."

Becky seriously considered stomping on Yuki's foot on purpose. He should know a little better that as much as she loved to take the humor from situations, she didn't want to do it with _this_. "Really, Yuki. I'm _really_ upset about this."

"I'm upset, too, Rebecca." He rubbed the side of her waist and gripped her hand tighter. "How do you think I feel, having my newly appointed girlfriend on the other side of the world for an entire month?" He took a deep breath, then exhaled. "But it's not like there's much we can do about it."

Becky sighed deeply, shaking her head. "I don't know what we're going to do about this, Yuki."

"Don't worry, Rebecca." He squeezed her waist tighter, pulling her closer to him. "When you come back… I'll still be right here. I promise not to change _that_ much."

Becky suddenly thought of something. She knew Yuki would change a little, but there was _one_ thing she never wanted him to change. "Hey, Yuki?"

He looked down at her. "Hmm?"

"Don't cut your hair while I'm gone."

Yuki laughed. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"And you better call me _every_ day."

Yuki gave her a sweet smile, which she found to be her favorite expression on his face. "You should know that I'm going to be trying to call you twenty-four seven." He leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

Becky felt the pain consuming her, her hand burning and the place around her waist and back where Yuki had his arm feeling like someone had held a candle to it. She began to cry softly, but bore the pain. Knowing that it was probably the last time she would be able to kiss Yuki for a month, she managed to press back and hold it for five seconds, even with the burning. Two more seconds than she'd managed on their date at the movies, at least. She leaned against his chest, not close enough to be hugging him, holding her middle slightly away. "So… you're really gonna be right here waiting for me?"

"Of course. Don't worry." He held her just as close as he could, an inch away from hugging her and triggering the curse. "You and I, Rebecca…" He chuckled quietly, resting his head on top of hers. "… We're going to be just fine."

The song reached its climax, and Becky felt her heart swell. "Y-Yuki… will you sing to me? Just… one more time?"

"I would want nothing more." He hummed for a few seconds, then began to sing quietly as he danced with her.

"_Castles, they might crumble_

_Dreams may not come true_

_But you are never all alone_

'_Cause I will always_…"

Becky joined in, almost so soft you couldn't hear her voice over his.

"_Always love you_…"

Yuki looked down at his girlfriend as her voice faded away and she closed her eyes against his chest.

"_Hey, I_

_Hey, I_…"

Becky opened her mouth and sang with him again. She just had to, one more time… sing with him… as they danced to their favorite song…

"_When the clouds will rage and_

_Storms will race in_

_But you will be safe_

_In my arms_

"_Rains will pour down_

_Waves will crash around_

_But you will be safe_

_In my arms_…"

Yuki looked down and Becky looked up. Their eyes met for one final time, and they held each other as closely and tightly as they were able.

"_In my arms_…"

-xxx-

_With these hands, I will love you._

**(1) – Another awesome song! :D**

**(2) – I so told you it would come into play later! And… it's later.**

**WOO-HOO! YAAAAAAAY! *blows noisemaker***

… **Now that I've got THAT out of my system…**

**Do you guys wanna know what the surprise is?**

**OK OK I'll tell you!**

… **Well…**

**This was the final chapter of "With These Hands".**

***waits for people to stop throwing things at her***

**HEY! I'M NOT FINISHED!**

… **HOWEVER. There will be a sequel, and please do not stop watching this story, because I am going to put up some little previews of the sequel, which is called "With This Heart". It will probably actually be much longer than this was. Not sure HOW long it will be yet… but I HAVE started it. I am almost done with chapter 3 of it.**

**I will have it up soon, but I'm taking a little break before I upload the first chapter. OK? I think I kind of deserve it… XD this is, like, the second story I've ever finished, so I'm really happy, really proud… and really tired.**

**I would like to thank everybody who has reviewed this story:**

**CrimsonlightofDeath, michelleandjulia, LadyMiraculous, Mommiya Ichigo, xXemLyXx, Vanez, SilentXFreak, SingingSyd, Ayaka Haninozuka Sohma, and Eternal Conflict. I would love it if you continued to read by checking out the sequel as soon as it's up, dropping me a review, and letting me know how you like it. :)**

**Stay tuned for previews!**

**Signing off for now,**

**~A'isha Ishtar ^^**


	36. Previews of With This Heart

_**BONUS! Sneak Peeks of "With This Heart"…**_

_**-xxx-**_

_It was her who made the first move this time. She pressed her lips to his, clutching his wrists so tightly she was probably bruising them. The skin of his wrists scorched the palms of her hands, inflaming the wounds she'd received just the previous night. His lips singed hers, and he knew so, for he tried to press lightly. But she wouldn't let him. She didn't care right now how badly it hurt. This was the last time she would be kissing him for a month. She didn't care. "I-I… I'm going to m-miss you so much," she whispered against his lips, tears rolling down to soothe the burns._

_**-xxx-**_

"_Hey! Get off me! Stay away from me!" She pushed the boy, who she had just at this moment decided to nickname "Muscle Head", back from her. "As I keep telling you, I have a boyfriend! And if you don't stop getting all handsy, he's gonna come all the way out here just to kick your ass!"_

_**-xxx-**_

_It felt so good not to worry about being careful when she hugged someone. For the last month that she had known Yuki and his family, she'd had to watch herself, especially in public. But she didn't have to worry about that when she was with Jayden. As his arms encircled her, she could hug him back and not worry about him transforming into a snake or a monkey… or a rat. It made her smile, something as simple as human contact. He let go, and smiled at her. "You know, you're a special girl, Becks. I gotta say, whoever he is, your boyfriend is a lucky guy."_

_She grinned, and watched him leave. All of a sudden, she remembered the times she had hugged Yuki. They felt good, too, and she got to see him turn into an adorable little rat, then she got to hug him again to make him turn back. A sinking feeling filled her up, and she brought a hand to her head. What on Earth was she doing?_

_**-xxx-**_

"_Yuki, I can't believe you're not trying to see my side of this!" Becky gripped the phone even tighter. "I've been living with my dad and Bret for two weeks, and I gotta tell you, my dad isn't such a bad guy! He's just… he's not home a lot… and Bret… Bret has to do practically everything by himself! He has to take care of himself, 'cause when my dad __**is**__ home—"_

"_When he __**is**__ home," Yuki interrupted, sounding angry, "he's smoking, drunk, stoned, or all three! You do realize this is the same guy whose smoking gave me an asthma attack the first time he showed up over here? He's not responsible enough to take care of children! You cannot want to stay there!"_

"_And who the hell are you to tell me what I can and can't want, Yuki Sohma?"_

"_I'm your boyfriend! And I thought you cared about me a lot more than you're acting like! Because you're acting like you don't care how your decisions will make __**me**__ feel!"_

"_And you're acting like they're not __**my**__ decisions to make! You are not __**ME**__!"_

_There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, which made Becky a little worried that Yuki had hung up on her. "Yuki? Are you still there?"_

"… _Rebecca?"_

"_What?"_

"… _Are we… Are we fighting?"_

_**-xxx-**_

_She looked at her clock, which read one-fourteen. She sighed and picked up the phone, not knowing who to expect. "Hello? Who is this and why are you calling me at one in the morning?"_

_She became slightly annoyed when she heard Momiji on the other end. "B-Becca-chan?"_

_She shook her head and blinked. "What is it, Momiji?"_

_Her heart broke when she heard him sniffling on the other end. "I-I m-miss…" His voice broke, and he sobbed once before trying to speak again. "When are you coming home, Becca-chan?"_

_**-xxx-**_

"_I… I came here… I had to leave my mother, my boyfriend, all his family who were my friends… and my boyfriend and I… we had this horrible fight over the phone…"_

"_Heh." The brunette smiled faintly, her blue eyes taking on a far away look, as if she could see something nobody else could. "I used to have a boyfriend."_

_Becky blinked. "What happened to him?"_

_Her eyes closed, her hands going limp in her lap. "Don't let one fight break you up, okay? You might regret it later."_

_Becky began to get scared. "Where's __**your**__ boyfriend?"_

"… _He died two years ago."_

_**-xxx-**_

"_Hey, Yuki?"_

"_I thought you weren't going to call me anymore."_

"… _I know I said that. But I didn't mean it."_

"_Oh? And what changed your mind?"_

"… _Yuki…" She wiped her eyes. "I… I'm really, __**really**__ sorry about everything I said. I'm really lucky to have you… and… and I forgot that."_

_**-xxx-**_

"_You know it wasn't my choice to keep you here. I was under orders."_

_She lifted her head and gave him the most horrid, furious expression she had ever given anybody. "You could have decided to break orders! You didn't have to chain me up in this hell!"_

"_You're not in chains… yet."_

"_You're not one to follow the rules! Please let me out! Don't I matter?"_

"_Of course you matter." He turned, a hand on the doorframe, and let his head hang. "… But I must think of my family before you."_

_**-xxx-**_

"_So…" She snatched the remote from him and flicked the TV off. "I want to know, Yuki."_

_He looked at her with dull eyes, apparently still not feeling very well. "You want to know what, Rebecca?"_

_She tugged a strand of his hair. "Stop playing dumb, because I already know that you're not! You know very well what I want you to tell me!"_

"_And that would be?"_

_She took a deep breath before looking at him. "… You know how the Sohma curse is broken. Tell me how to do it."_

_**-xxx-**_

_Her mouth dropped open and she gaped at her mother. "__**You weren't even MARRIED, Ma**__?"_

_**-xxx-**_

_She looked up at her mother. "You know, this could be classified as an invasion of privacy, Ma," she whispered._

"_Oh, she's my sister." Nancy had whipped out a pair of binoculars from nowhere and was now looking through them. "She won't mind."_

"_You know, I wouldn't think Lola would ever fall for a snake."_

"_She fell for that jerk who we now refer to as __**Jake**__ the Snake."_

"_True, true."_

_**-xxx-**_

_All she could do was stare at the girl who was kneeling on the floor across from the brunette. She was so… well, she looked kind of like a boy. Her hair was vanilla white and it was short, most of it hidden by the cap she wore. She sported a loose-fitting black T-shirt advertising Metallica, and she wore a pair of jeans. She had no shoes, and she sat straight up._

_She pointed at the girl, who had done nothing but stare down at the table with a sorrowful look in her blue eyes. "Ritsu-san… who's this?"_

_Ritsu tried to give her a smile, but it came out to her as a little bit painful for him to do. "Oh, Re-chan!" He gestured to the girl, blushing, and swallowed before continuing to speak. "Th-This… This is my… my… g… __**girlfriend**__."_

_**-xxx-**_

_He sniffed, and raised an eyebrow. He walked closer to her and put his nose to her hair, then pulled back. "… Rebecca, you smell like smoke."_

_She blinked, blushing. "I just spent a month with two smokers. I'll need ten showers and my clothes'll need three good washes before the smell's gone."_

_Before she could do anything, he reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He looked at her disbelievingly. "Rebecca… why do you have these?"_

_**-xxx-**_

"_Rebecca…" He sighed, placing a hand on her face. His touch felt good against her skin, as he pressed his forehead against hers. "I'm not… sure what you want me to do. I don't know how to love you if… if you're just going to… not appreciate me anymore. I do as much as I can for you, and… I just… I thought it would make you see how much I care."_

"_You were trying to make me see you cared? By canceling our special Valentine's date, not giving me a reason… oh, and deliberately __**sabotaging**__ Lola's date?"_

"_I wanted what was best for her. Loving a Sohma is not best for anyone."_

"_Is that what you think, Yuki? You think that… that you Sohma men aren't worth anyone's time?"_

"_You know, Rebecca… I'm very lucky to have found you. And I appreciate that you love me. But I find myself unworthy of your time. You deserve someone better."_

_She felt the anger rising in her. If that was how he felt, maybe she should just get away from him so she didn't make him feel bad. "Do you wanna break up, Yuki? Is that what you're saying? Is that what you want?" She almost couldn't believe she'd just said that._

_His eyes widened slightly, but then returned to normal. He glanced away for a moment before answering her. "… I don't know. Is that what __**you**__ want?"_

_The next thing she just blurted out without thinking. "Maybe."_

_She couldn't believe that had just come out of her mouth._

_**-xxx-**_

"_If you didn't want to kiss her, Ritsu, then why did you agree to marry her when she asked you?" She seriously entertained smacking him on the arm. "I swear, men are clueless!"_

"_B-Because…" He began to cry. "U-Uncle arranged this marriage for me. Sh-She's from another family… with a curse. He p-planned her… asking that… and my parents agreed to the marriage." He buried his face in his hands. "Oh, Re-chan, I don't know what to __**do**__! I don't love her, but I do care about her as a friend! I don't want to marry her… but I simply don't have much choice in the matter! The arrangements have been made… her family is expecting a wedding… and most of all, I just don't want to hurt her! Can you __**please**__ tell me what to do, Re-chan? I don't want to marry her if I don't love her… but it will be far worse to hurt her feelings by telling her that I don't love her! __**WHAT DO I DO**__?"_

_**-xxx-**_

_She pulled away when she realized what she'd done, and then was surprised. He hadn't transformed! Why…? She had hugged him and he hadn't transformed. She didn't quite know what to say. "I… I… nii-san! Why didn't you transform?"_

_He gave her a wide smile, and pulled her back into a hug of his own. "Oh, it was my beautiful little Lolita! She broke my curse!"_

_Her eyes widened. "Sh-She… She broke the Sohma curse? She's only been here for three weeks!"_

_**-xxx-**_

"_So, uh, Becks… I was wondering what you'd say to dinner tonight." He flashed her that irresistible smile, moving ever closer to her. "How about it? Just you and me? I mean, I came all this way…"_

_She felt her cheeks flush. "Uh, well… I don't know… maybe…"_

"_Step away from my girlfriend."_

_**-xxx-**_

"_You know, I've been hearing wedding bells for weeks, but I just don't think they're that into each other. I don't know what Father plans to do about the fact that they have no chemistry."_

_**-xxx-**_

_She ran into the kitchen, where her mother, Ritsu, and Shigure were sitting at the table drinking tea. She held out the cardboard box to Nancy, swallowing hard, and almost wasn't able to talk. "Ma! Ma, look at this!"_

_Nancy grabbed the box, almost spitting out her tea. "My God, Rebecca! An EPT, __**really**__? You and Yuki are not this serious and so help me if you've had sex—"_

"_Ma, no!" She pointed to the box. "That's not mine!"_

"_Well then, whose is it?"_

"_I… I found it in Lola's bathroom."_

_Her mother's eyes widened. "Oh, my God…" She stood up, knocking over her cup, which smashed to the floor. "__**I'm gonna kill my sister**__ – __**RIGHT AFTER I KILL THAT SOHMA BASTARD**__!"_

_**-xxx-**_

"_Yuki… there's something I've been wanting to say to you… for a really, really long time. I just… I've tried to say it… to really mean it…"_

"_Shh. No." He pressed a finger to her lips. "Let me speak first. I have a feeling that the thing you're going to say to me… is the thing I desperately want to say to you. So, let me go first. You know… when we first met… could you believe I thought those notes were annoying? And then… when you found out about the curse… and when I found out about yours… I wasn't sure what to think or feel. And our first date… it seems so long ago now, and to know we were being listened to by my father when we shared our first kiss… it was rather foolish of me not to get upset. And when I found out you were leaving… I was just… I was heartbroken. Even when we fought… there wasn't one day during December that I didn't wish I could have you back with me. And then… lately… it just seemed like… I don't know. We were growing apart. But I don't think that could be the case, because… well, Rebecca…"_

"_Yuki. You're taking longer than it took Shakespeare to write his entire collection of plays and sonnets. Please just spit it out."_

_He chuckled, and then took her hands. "Alright. Then let me get out with it, then."_

"_So…" She gestured with her hands, telling him to get it rolling._

_A small smile formed on his lips and parted as he said what she'd been dying to hear._

"_Rebecca Bridges… I think I love you."_

-xxx-

Will Becky choose to stay with Yuki? Or is their relationship beyond repair and will she go running to an alluring suitor?

Who is Lola, and whose curse does she break?

What happens to Nancy while Becky is in Nebraska?

Will Ritsu take the plunge and marry a woman he doesn't love… or will he learn to love her?

Will the Sohma curse and the Bridges curse finally be broken once and for all?

More importantly… why am I asking YOU all these questions when I should be typing it up?

For these answers and more, stay tuned for the exciting sequel, "With This Heart"!

Signing off for now,

A'isha-chan ^^


End file.
